‘This could be your mortgage payment’: Customer cutoff from money after bank froze her account

ORLANDO, Fla. — For three months, a woman was locked out of her new bank account along with the $5,000 she had deposited into it.

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“They wouldn’t even tell me why the account was blocked,” social media influencer Rich Journeys said.

She helps people find opportunities to make money on her TikTok, but was frustrated after having no access to her Citibank account.

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“I was shopping at Target one day; this is my first purchase using my card. And the cashier says, ‘Oh your transaction didn’t go through,’” she said.

She estimates she called Citibank more than 25 times trying to gain access to her money. Citibank told her they suspected fraud on the account but sent her checks and extra debit cards she never requested anyway.

“That’s just a hopeless feeling to try everything you could try, and nothing happens. It makes you feel like, you know, worthless,” Journeys said.

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It’s not just a Citibank problem.  Action 9 has told you about this happening before with other banks.

In March, Shelley Camp had no way to buy basics like food or gas after an online bank, Green Dot, locked her account for two weeks because of suspected fraud.

“It’s a big mess,” Camp said at the time.

Last fall, Chase blocked Lois White’s account when it couldn’t verify her student loan refund check.

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“I feel like a criminal, like I’ve done something wrong,” White said.

Journeys said she worries about how something like this could affect other families.

“This could be your mortgage payment. This could be your rent payment. You know, groceries for the house, groceries for kids. The average person doesn’t have this just lying around, you know, for a bank to play with,” she said.

Citibank has now closed the account. It did not tell Journeys why, but last Friday, a check for the $5,000 was delivered to Journeys.

Citibank said, “We’re pleased to have resolved this matter with our client.”

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