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Posts Tagged “

Citibank

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Google now helps catch criminals. The FBI identified a Citibank PIN thief by cross-referencing security camera footage with an ICQ handle and personal photos on ham radio enthusiasts sites. [Information Week]

15 comments

citibank

Here's What The World Of ATM Hacking Looks Like

Wired has been covering the ongoing investigation into recurring ATM pin thefts from Citibank accounts, and their latest article tracks how Ukrainian immigrants, a ringleader back in Russia, a hacked company named Fiserv that runs Citibank-branded ATMs in 7-Elevens, and an online payment service that also offers money laundering for a small fee all come together to steal your money. It's an amazing look at how the U.S. tries to combat the threat of ATM-related theft.

[The] undercover operation... at one point had Eastern European hackers chasing a female FBI agent through the streets of New York, trying to mug her for ATM-card-programming gear.

"Stakeouts, Lucky Breaks Snare Six More in Citibank ATM Heist" [Wired Threat Level] (Thanks to Robbie!)
(Photo: Getty)

8:30 PM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Chris Walters
10,728 views, 22 comments

Latest by n/a: I stopped using ATMs a while back. I have never looked back. There are always going to be ways around any security. Nothing is ever secure, it is a game of numbers and convenience. I give up the convenience of more »

citigroup

Citigroup May Reinstate Universal Default

Last year Citigroup pledged to abandon the customer-screwing policy of universal default, where an unrelated late payment or credit score change can trigger an interest rate increase on your Citibank card. They even used a marketing phrase to promote their promise: "a deal is a deal." According to the New York Times, Citigroup is "quietly reconsidering its pledge" and may decide to reinstate universal default as early as this week.

As the New York Times puts it, "Citigroup’s deal is only a deal until it isn’t."

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8:06 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Chris Walters
3,889 views, 39 comments

lawsuits

Class Action Certified In Suit Against Citibank Over IPod Mini Promotion

When Citibank offered free 4 GB iPod Minis to new customers in 2004 and 2005, the product was retailing for $249, and Citibank indirectly acknowledged the value of the product by saying they'd substitute an mp3 player of "equal or greater value" if there were fulfillment problems. There weren't, but by the time Citibank got around to passing out the iPod Mini, it had dropped in price and a new 6 GB version was now on the market for $249. Citibank chose to take the savings and distribute the now cheaper 4-gig versions. Now there's a class action lawsuit against Citibank in California, where it seems all class actions are born. You can read the ruling for the certification here (PDF). More »

7:06 PM on Thu Jun 5 2008
By Chris Walters
4,390 views, 68 comments

Latest by Geekybiker: I think people need to stop think in terms of this promotion just being an ipod. They were promised an item worth $250 when they signed up. They were delivered a different item worth $200. It doesn't matter that they more »

worst company in america

Round 41: Wal-Mart vs Citibank

This is Round 41 in our Worst Company in America contest, Wal-Mart vs Citibank!Here's what readers said in previous rounds about why they hate these two companies...

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12:00 PM on Mon May 19 2008
By Ben Popken
4,209 views, 38 comments

citibank

Citibank Swears The Card Is In The Mail. Liars.

Tammy's been trying to get a new Citibank card to replace her expired one since March. For two months Citibank has lied, stalled, and generally screwed around with her access to her money. For two months, a a series of increasingly senior people have told her her card is on the way. They even told her they'd overnight it, twice. Read her story, More »

9:23 AM on Mon May 19 2008
By Profio
3,899 views, 26 comments

student loans

Citi Announces One Of Its 'Bold Steps': Stricter Rules On Student Loans

Two readers have forwarded us a second email sent out by Citibank today, but it's not another vaguely worded PR blast from the CEO. Instead, this one announces that Citibank is adopting the zero-tolerance approach to late payments favored by the credit card industry—miss a payment due date and you'll lose any interest rate discount(s) you currently enjoy. More »

5:33 PM on Wed May 14 2008
By Chris Walters
4,906 views, 53 comments

love letters

Citi CEO Emails To Inform You Of Citi's "Bold Steps," Neglects To Tell You What The "Bold Steps" Are

Reader Ben writes: More »
atm fees

Citibank Promises To Credit ATM Fees, But Will Try To Get Out Of It Unless You Badger Them

Tim was pretty sure he met all the conditions of Citibank's offer to refund ATM fees—he opened his account online and he doesn't live near a Citi Financial center. When he wasn't credited, he contacted them to ask why, and was told he had to meet the conditions he's already met. He had to contact them four times to finally get the $2.00 fee credited as per their advertising. You might be asking yourself, "All that trouble for two dollars?" Well, that's why he ends his email with this: "Can someone point me in the direction of a better bank that actually provides 'reimbursement of the fees other banks may charge you for using their ATMs' without hassle?" More »

7:37 PM on Fri Apr 25 2008
By Chris Walters
3,947 views, 41 comments

Latest by Juice Box Hero: @PeteyNice: I love my Schwab account. They reimburse my ATM fees at the end of each month like clockwork. Furthermore, they have awesome customer service. I'm completely confident that if I had an issue with this or another feature, they'd more »

consequences

Man Sentenced For $3.6 Million Credit Card Fraud

A Californian named Andrew Michael (not pictured at left) was sentenced to four years in federal prison last week for scamming Citibank and credit card companies by fraudulently applying for an $8.5 million commercial line of credit—some $2 million of which he spent on personal goods for himself, including "170 troy ounces of silver, 479 tubes of gold flakes, [and] a Rolex watch." More »

12:56 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Chris Walters
4,855 views, 24 comments

follow-up

Follow-Up: Citibank Steps In, Forces Sears To Remove The $1070 Charge

Tom just sent us a follow-up to yesterday's post, and it's good news:
Score another one for The Consumerist!
 
This morning I contacted Sears' Executive Customer Service Department. They attempted to contact the store manager on my behalf. I stress "attempted" because they were hung up on too.

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6:42 PM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Chris Walters
16,614 views, 58 comments

insiders

Citicard Exec On Ending Universal Default: "It's Like Telling People You Stopped Beating Your Wife."

I was talking to a high-up marketing type person from Citicards recently and she wanted to know what Consumerist readers were complaining about with regards to the little plastic devil she pushes. She told me how Citicards had recently stopped doing Universal Default, which is where if you're late on your payments with one creditor, other creditors get to treat you like you defaulted with them and spike your APR. She said she was personally appalled after finding out that her company had the policy in the first place, but then struggled with how to tell customers about it, because, she said, "It's like telling people you stopped beating your wife." More »

Feature

4:14 PM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By Ben Popken
10,325 views, 49 comments

Latest by chiieddy: @chiieddy: Should clarify: You will earn a full 5% Cashback Bonus on your first $100 in gas and auto maintenance purchases ("G&A Purchases") that are posted to your Account each billing period, up to a maximum of $1,200 each anniversary year. more »

corrections

Sears Takes Customer Account Security 80% Seriously

Dear MATTHEW F:
On Wednesday, April 9th you received an email with the subject line "Get $25 From Citibank". We recently discovered that the email we sent to you incorrectly contained the salutation "Dear Donna Robinson" rather than "Dear MATTHEW F". We apologize for the confusion this may have caused and want to assure you that the email is a legitimate Sears card email.
Oh Sears. Well, according to Matthew F, at least the account number was his. More »

8:34 PM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Chris Walters
3,462 views, 12 comments

Latest by marsneedsrabbits: So, Sears sends credit card offers in email? Does any other company ever do this? more »

worst company in america

Round 18: Sears vs Citibank

This is Round 18 in our Worst Company in America contest, Sears vs Citibank.

Sears stores are dirty and staffed by people who don't give a damn. Getting a warranty repair is a nightmare. The company seems to be composed of different warring factions, with the customer as canon fodder.

Citibank: Like most retail banks excited by late 90's deregulation, Citibank got hot and heavy into the subrpime mortgage industry and helped to precipitate the current economic crunch. They boost people's credit card interest rates for no reason, sometimes have customer service completely impervious to logic, and otherwise behave like a typical gigantic bank, which is to say, horribly.

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12:00 PM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Ben Popken
4,416 views, 59 comments

Latest by n/a: @engle22: As a former Citi employee that had to deal with Sears cardholders I can assure you a large chunk of the credit issues start with Sears. The amount of dishonest salespeople was only overshadowed by the amount of salespeople more »

Citibank's online banking site was down all day yesterday for some readers. Some folks were told a server went down, others were told it was a system upgrade. The site is supposed to be back up today.

9 comments

disputes

Credit Card Expert Disputes Erroneous Charge, Frustration Ensues

Georgetown law professor and Credit Slips blogger Adam Levitin is having trouble disputing an erroneous $176.96 charge on his Citibank Amex card from PACER, the federal court's online docket system, which he accesses for free. The professor is a consumer credit expert and should have no problem understanding and fixing the error, right? Fat chance. More »

2:38 PM on Sat Mar 29 2008
By Carey
36,881 views, 42 comments

technology

Citigroup Developing Citi-Branded Phone That Can Make Contactless Payments

Do you wish you had a way to spend your money more easily, without all that opening-the-wallet or punching-the-pin-number manual labor? The trade publication Cards & Payments (registration required) says that it's received a copy of a report filed with the FCC that indicates Citigroup is developing a Near Field Communication, or NFC, mobile phone that would allow its customers to make contactless payments at participating retailers. More »

6:53 PM on Fri Mar 28 2008
By Chris Walters
1,731 views, 14 comments

complaints

Citibank Uses Sneaky Way To Keep Sending You Junk Mail Even After You "Opt Out"

After he continued to receive mailings for months from his bank after he thought he opted out of their mailings, reader Perre asked Citibank if they had honored his request. They said, "yes you're opted out of Balance Transfer offers and Cash Convenience Checks." Then he cleverly thought to ask which mailing lists he was still opted in. Citibank told him he was still on "Sales and Marketing" and "Third Party Sharing." They explained this by saying when you call to opt-out, they only take you off "in-statement offers." We're not sure what that means, it sounds like they're just agreeing to not put additional marketing offers in your billing statement envelope, which is definitely not what any normal person would have in mind when they call to opt-out. Sneaky. When you call a company to opt-out of their mailings, be sure to also ask which lists you're opted in, and then ask to get off those as well.

(Photo: Spidra Webster)

9:45 PM on Mon Mar 24 2008
By Ben Popken
10,526 views, 33 comments

Latest by kahnvex: Hi all, You can also ask to be opted out of global mailing lists, as well as third party sharing. Convenience Checks, Third Parts, Statement Inserts, and bank related offers. All are different options, at least at the one I work for. Keep more »

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