888-296-0988

THIS IS A FRAUD!!  They are trying to scam you and get you to give them your credit card number, by sending a text message and posing as Citibank's fraud early warning department.  BEWARE!!!

Just received this text message:
Free Text Msg: Citi Cards Fraud Dept needs to speak with you about activity on your acct. Please call 8882960988 ASAP.To Opt-Out reply STOP

I was suspicious when I received an email with this phone number, but it is legitimate.  Rather than dialing this number, I dialed the number on the back of my card, and my call was transferred (without any action on my part) to the Citibank Fraud Center.  After verifying that a charge was unauthorized, my card was cancelled.  The rep offered to overnight a replacement card to me.

I suggest that if you receive a message of any kind (phone, internet, mobile) from a sender purporting to be your credit card issuer, that you contact your issuer using the phone number on the back of your card.  

I received both a text message from 888-296-0988 and phone call from 800-386-6624 to my cell reporting possible fraud. It was a .29 hold which was a fraudulent feeler charge. I called the number on the back of my card not the number texted. I advise always call the number on the back of your card even though this actually was from Citi fraud detection.

I just got a text that says:

Free Text Msg:Citi Cards Fraud Dept needs to speak with you about activity on your acct. Please call 8882960988 ASAP.To Opt-Out reply STOP.

This is obviously a scam, because I don't have any Citi cards, so I don't know how I'd have fraud on my account.  Nice try.

It is legit. I have gotten this text message twice now. Always from Citi Bank and always regarding suspicious charges to my card. I would recommend you call CitiBank if you get one but do as previous people have commented and call the number on the back of your card. They will then transfer you to the fraud department. My alert was the real deal and someone was using my card in a different state. Citi Bank stopped the charge from going through and have replaced my card.

I am guessing I have Target to thank for my information getting out.

when I called the number on the back of the card and was put through to the fraud dept there was no problem with the account and she said (1) they don't use text messages and (2) they always tell you the last 4 digits, you don't have to tell them.

This is a fraud. My guess is that people who are saying this is legit ARE part of the fraud. So. Just call the number on the back of your card.

It seems to be legit, although I would also suggest calling the number of the back of the card. I addition to the text, I also received a call from 800-386-6624 with an automated voice prompt system, although that call got cut off.  Without thinking, I called the number in the text and answered the fraud agent's questions. When I called the number on the back of the card to find out if 888-296-0988 is a legitimate Citi number, they couldn't confirm it, but everything I was told by the fraud agent was true and their Agent ID was associated with my account. Whoever's answering that number seems to have full access to Citi's system, so I hope it's legit.

I received the text message and called. Everything seemed legitimate so I had them cancel my card, but I still felt uneasy. After hanging up, I immediately called the number on the back of my card, and they confirmed that it was a legitimate message. As some of the folks mentioned, call the number on the back of the card to begin with. I lucked out, thankfully.

I asked who the compromised store was, they either didn't know or weren't allowed to answer. They claimed it would jeopardize their ongoing investigation. Hope the info helps.

Received voice call and text. Called the number on the back of my card and was automatically routed to the Citibank fraud dept. They had already canceled my Citicard and were just informing me. New cards on the way. Seems legit.

I too got this text msg. I never call numbers sent in text or email or clink on links in emails. I logged onto my account and there was a notice to call, so I called the number on the back of the card. Like others, it took me straight to the fraud dept. They reported a charge at the Luxor Hotel in Vegas, reviewed my charges from the previous day, cancelled the card and sent a new one.

@yourname: "This is a fraud. My guess is that people who are saying this is legit ARE part of the fraud. So. Just call the number on the back of your card." Get a life. Everyone who said their msg was legit, still insisted that you call the number on your card. So.... Fail.

I received an authentic-looking email and a text message warning me of a possible fraud on my account (Credit card). Clearly a scam.  A man asked me for my phone number (I had called), my first and last name, which I gave, then proceeded to ask me for my login information. I told him I would call later. It's clearly a scam, beware!

I think this is legit.  I mean I don't know what to say about people that said they don't have citibank credit cards but I have received a couple texts in the past simply asking my to verify a charge amount via text (no additional info required) and this particular text came from that same number about a recent charge.  I did call the number on the back after second guessing it but she assured me that these texts are automated from citibank and that the 2nd message I received today about the issue on the 18th was because for some reason the account did not get properly cleared?  What is weird is that right after she told me everything was okay and I should not get texts anymore, I got a phone call from a different number.  Spoke with a Mr. Reyes who wanted the same info and when I hung up on him he called me back and told me that I needed to verify my info by calling the number on the back of my card.  That made me feel ever so slightly better but I am a little freaked.  The fact that the other texts I have gotten from this number were directly after large charges while on vacation makes me think this is not a scam.  But of course you never know with these things huh?

Same number combination for me.. When I hung up on the 800 number, I got a call back from the same man but at 423-467-6460.  He asked for me by lastname, firstname which was funny but said that if I didn't feel comfortable giving him the info that I could call the number on the back of the card.  Which I had already done.

Sounded like the real thing -- said they were the Citi Bank Early Warning Fraud Department -- that they might have to hold up use of the card until I call about some unusual activity on the card.  I just opened the card less than one month ago and last Thursday received a fraud email from another individual claiming to be Citi Bank and that they have made changes to their "system" and I needed to provide them with information to confirm my account or my card would be cancelled.  Called Citi Fraud on that one and forwarded the email to the spoof@citicorp.net I believe ....

Citibank fraud department. I think it's legit. I called, and got suspicious. They told me to hang up and call the number on the back of my card instead.  I did that, and they told me I had just called and hung up after getting suspicious. Just call the number on the back of your card.

Just got a call from 888-296-0988. Checked with Citi Bank. The number is a phony. Don't give them any information. I have already reported them to Citi.

Received the text.  Called the number on the back of my card.  They gave me to fraud department who asked if I'd made a charge to a company (I hadn't).  They cancelled my card and said they'd send me new ones.  I tried to log in to my account on the Citi website, but it's already cancelled.  So, it must be legit unless the scammer has the ability to get into CitiCards and close my account.

This turned out to be legit (I got both a text message and a voicemail from Citibank), but I followed the advice given by several people on this site, and it's really good advice: Instead of calling this number, I called the number on the back of my card. That way I knew for sure that I was talking to Citibank, and that they really had detected fraud against my account.