888-248-4226 (Citibank)

N

nicole baker

Member
My debit card information was recently stolen. I only realized it when I got a notification from Citi, checked my account, and saw some fraudulent charges. My card doesn’t even support tap-to-pay, so whoever did it must have somehow gotten my PIN too which was pretty unsettling.

Citibank refunded the money, and I cancelled my card and requested a new one. But here’s where it gets weird: a day or two after activating the new card, I got a call that appeared to come from Citibank. The number on my caller ID matched their official one: 1-888-248-4226.

The person on the line said there had been an attempt to use my old debit card. He started asking if I shopped at places like eBay and some other common retailers. I said yes, and then asked for more specifics. He gave me an amount over $200 and said it was a Walmart transaction. Then he told me he was going to send me a link to click on.

I can’t remember everything he said because I was distracted by how off he sounded. His tone and speech pattern raised red flags. I definitely wasn’t about to click a random link, so I said I’d call back. The link came in a text from an 858 area code and contained “fanlink” in the URL.

I called Citibank myself and spoke to a real rep. They confirmed a few important things:
  1. They don’t send clickable links via text.
  2. The scammer did a few other things that legitimate reps would never do.
  3. There really was an attempt to use my old card for the exact amount the scammer mentioned.
So basically the scammers had my debit card number, PIN, and phone number. I don’t post my phone number online or share a lot of personal info, so this really threw me.
 
Wow, that’s really frightening. If they had both your PIN and card number, it means some sensitive information was definitely leaked. You made the smart choice by not clicking that link. Scammers are getting more sophisticated all the time
 
Something similar happened to me with my Chase card last year. They called from a number that looked authentic, but it was actually spoofed. Always make sure to verify by contacting the bank directly
 
Haha, scammers always pull the “let me send you a link” move. Like, yeah right, I’m just going to click a suspicious link from a random number I don’t know. No way
 
The “fanlink” part definitely sounds sketchy. I’ve come across phishing URLs before and they usually have some odd mix of random words and numbers. Props to you for staying cautious.
 
I really think banks should do a better job of educating their customers about these things. I had no idea they never send links through text messages until I experienced a scam attempt myself. This kind of information needs to be shared more broadly.
 
I really think banks should do a better job of educating their customers about these things. I had no idea they never send links through text messages until I experienced a scam attempt myself. This kind of information needs to be shared more broadly
 
Can someone explain how they could’ve gotten the PIN? Aren’t PINs usually pretty secure? Maybe if you entered it on a shady site or had malware on your phone?
 
That’s why I still steer clear of tap-to-pay, despite how convenient it is. If someone hacks your phone, it just feels like an ideal setup for them
 
I'm wondering the same thing. Maybe they skimmed the card in person and somehow figured out the PIN? Or pulled it off through social engineering? No way they just happened to get the PIN
 
The wild part is, they used the actual bank’s number to call you. Spoofing caller IDs is seriously next-level deception. At this point, I don’t even trust what shows up on caller ID anymore
 
It’s a huge relief that Citibank refunded your money some banks make the whole process of recovering funds after fraud an absolute nightmare. It’s good to know they handled it fairly and didn’t leave you fighting an uphill battle
 
I had my debit card stolen once too but thankfully it was a chip-and-pin card, so they couldn’t get my PIN. Still, the scammers tried to empty my account by purchasing online gift cards it was a pretty terrifying experience
 
If you’re looking for a silver lining in this mess: the scammers probably put more effort into pulling off this scheme than you’ve put into organizing your entire week
 
Do you think the scammers anticipated you'd cancel the card and switch to a new one? Or were they just scrambling to extract as much info as possible before everything got shut down?
 
This whole thing has me seriously on edge. I’m actually considering switching to cash for a bit it just feels safer than navigating all this digital madness
 
I’ve experienced this too getting a call from the real number, but something about the person on the line just feels off. It’s really unsettling to realize you might be speaking to a scammer instead of your actual bank.
 
This scam honestly feels straight out of a spy movie. Wouldn’t be surprised if the next step is them knocking on your door asking for your safe combination
 
That’s way too specific for a random guess. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone in a call center leaked details. Either that or Citibank’s fraud alerts are getting intercepted somehow.
 
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