On March 23, a TikToker known as Baby Storme accused Citibank of racial profiling as she allegedly tried to deposit a $30,000 check. In a video that has now gone viral, Baby Storme said that she attempted to deposit a check from her father to pay her rent in Los Angele.
“So tell me why I literally never experienced what I just experienced. I’m not the kind of person to come on here crying,” said Storme while in tears. “My dad sent me a check to pay off my rent for the next year and that’s it, and I go into Citibank to cash the check so I can pay my rent and they confiscate my check and refuse to give it back.”
Baby Storme shared that when she asked the teller if confiscating checks was standard procedure for all banking customers, she was told no.
The TikToker posted two videos filmed from inside the bank. In one of them, a man can be heard telling Baby Storme that they are keeping her check for “further investigation.” To that, she replied: “You don’t wanna cash the check, because it’s a $30,000 check, and I’m Black.”
In a second video, Baby Storme filmed herself as she tried to leave the bank. A man can be seen telling her that she cannot leave until the police arrive. The video ended before she was able to leave the bank.
Baby Storme says she has been a Citibank customer for about 5 years.
“Thank you guys for all the love and support. My mental health is definitely shattered but I’m going to continue to handle this situation silently and privately,” she wrote on TikTok. “I don’t want the situation to overshadow who I am and what I do and it’s a shame that I had to go viral like this.”
Citibank told Insider that they have spoken to Baby Storm since the incident. According to a statement, they are “working closely with her to resolve the issue in question.” Citibank added: “We are taking this matter very seriously and have launched a thorough investigation into what transpired on Tuesday.”