A Skokie man’s Citibank account was drained of $121,000, held in a trust account for his disabled sister, by scammers over a few days, with Citibank initially claiming they couldn’t do anything about it. However, a new lawsuit in New York against Citibank is giving victims like Scott Jacobson hope for justice. Jacobson, who has been caring for his sister Laurie, discovered the fraud in October 2021 when he found the trust account empty due to fraudulent wire transfers to Thailand.
Despite struggling to pay for his sister’s care and losing their house, Jacobson continued his fight against Citibank with his attorneys. He received support from the New York Attorney General in January, who filed a lawsuit against Citibank for failing to protect fraud victims and implement strong online protections. Eventually, an arbitrator ruled in Jacobson’s favor, awarding him the stolen money plus interest and attorney fees. Jacobson urges others facing bank fraud to persist and not give up in seeking justice for their losses.