u/Choco6330

I am currently being passed back and forth between two massive companies, Citibank and Booking.com . Meanwhile, $3,720 of my money is sitting in the hands of a scammer.

The Scam:

I booked a property called "Jackson Luxury Townhome with Mountain Views" through Booking.com. In December, I was charged $3,720 by a merchant called "Golden Days." Shortly after, I got a "cancellation" notice, but the "property manager" (staywithus@goldenstatehotels.com) told me it was just a system glitch and my stay was still confirmed.

By February, that email address was dead, the merchant vanished, and no such rental exists. It was a 100% fraudulent listing.

The "Blame Game":

Booking.com: They told me that I must file a dispute with my credit card company. They basically washed their hands of the fact that they allowed a criminal to set up a fake storefront on their platform.

Citibank: I have filed two claims and both were denied. Citi refuses to take phone calls for this and seems to be using an automated system that sees "Booking.com" and "Authorized Charge" and just clicks 'deny.' I am now on my third attempt.

The Frustration:

How is it possible that a platform like Booking.com can host a $3,720 scam, and a bank like Citi can refuse to even speak to a customer of over 20 years years about a blatant "Services Not Received" claim? I have a full paper trail of the "glitch" excuses and the bounced emails.

I’m looking for advice on two fronts:

Pressure on Booking.com: Has anyone successfully held Booking.com accountable for a fraudulent listing? Should I be hitting them on Twitter/X or filing a separate consumer complaint against them?

Pressure on Citi: Since they won't talk to me on the phone, is the CFPB my only option left? I feel like I’m screaming into a void while $3,720 is just gone.

TL;DR: Booking.com hosted a fake $3,700 rental. The merchant vanished. Booking.com says "call the bank," and Citibank says "denied" without letting me speak to a human.

I am currently being passed back and forth between two massive companies, Citibank and Booking.com . Meanwhile, $3,720 of my money is sitting in the hands of a scammer.

The Scam:

I booked a property called "Jackson Luxury Townhome with Mountain Views" through Booking.com. In December, I was charged $3,720 by a merchant called "Golden Days." Shortly after, I got a "cancellation" notice, but the "property manager" (staywithus@goldenstatehotels.com) told me it was just a system glitch and my stay was still confirmed.

By February, that email address was dead, the merchant vanished, and no such rental exists. It was a 100% fraudulent listing.

The "Blame Game":

Booking.com: They told me that I must file a dispute with my credit card company. They basically washed their hands of the fact that they allowed a criminal to set up a fake storefront on their platform.

Citibank: I have filed two claims and both were denied. Citi refuses to take phone calls for this and seems to be using an automated system that sees "Booking.com" and "Authorized Charge" and just clicks 'deny.' I am now on my third attempt.

The Frustration:

How is it possible that a platform like Booking.com can host a $3,720 scam, and a bank like Citi can refuse to even speak to a customer of over 20 years years about a blatant "Services Not Received" claim? I have a full paper trail of the "glitch" excuses and the bounced emails.

I’m looking for advice on two fronts:

Pressure on Booking.com: Has anyone successfully held Booking.com accountable for a fraudulent listing? Should I be hitting them on Twitter/X or filing a separate consumer complaint against them?

Pressure on Citi: Since they won't talk to me on the phone, is the CFPB my only option left? I feel like I’m screaming into a void while $3,720 is just gone.

TL;DR: Booking.com hosted a fake $3,700 rental. The merchant vanished. Booking.com says "call the bank," and Citibank says "denied" without letting me speak to a human.