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Does your bank inform you if they block your account?
aliasojo
Posts: 23,053 Forumite
RBS apparently put a security hold on my account a few days ago.
I was none the wiser until this morning.
I tried to top up my phone last night and the card wouldn't work but O2 did say it could be a glitch in their system so I thought nothing more about it.
This morning I logged onto my account only to see no sign of my current account. It had vanished.
Obviously I called RBS and it seemed they had put a stop on the account as they were suspicious of certain transactions, (all of which were genuine). They reinstated the account and all is now well.
Now whilst I am grateful that they are looking after my money in a responsible manner, it does worry me that they had blocked the account and not told me.
I can think of many situations where this could have caused serious problems for me. I don't always carry a bag, sometimes I just take a card (easy to slip into a pocket) and if I'd travelled away from home and the card was refused, what then? It bothers me that I could be stood in a 24 hour filling station at 11pm at night with no means to pay for the petrol I'd just filled my car up with.
I will now make sure I have a back up with me just in case, but I did wonder if there were other banks who actually phoned you to tell you your account had been blocked? Or do they all do the same and just wait for you to find out yourself?
I was none the wiser until this morning.
I tried to top up my phone last night and the card wouldn't work but O2 did say it could be a glitch in their system so I thought nothing more about it.
This morning I logged onto my account only to see no sign of my current account. It had vanished.
Obviously I called RBS and it seemed they had put a stop on the account as they were suspicious of certain transactions, (all of which were genuine). They reinstated the account and all is now well.
Now whilst I am grateful that they are looking after my money in a responsible manner, it does worry me that they had blocked the account and not told me.
I can think of many situations where this could have caused serious problems for me. I don't always carry a bag, sometimes I just take a card (easy to slip into a pocket) and if I'd travelled away from home and the card was refused, what then? It bothers me that I could be stood in a 24 hour filling station at 11pm at night with no means to pay for the petrol I'd just filled my car up with.
I will now make sure I have a back up with me just in case, but I did wonder if there were other banks who actually phoned you to tell you your account had been blocked? Or do they all do the same and just wait for you to find out yourself?
Herman - MP for all!
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Comments
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mine rang me in Australia and left a complex message with full instructions when they saw transactions in 3 different countries in 24 hours (and I hadn't warned them about the trip of course) but they had only blocked the card, not the whole account.The questions that get the best answers are the questions that give most detail....0
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With Natwest (the procedure will be pretty much the same) they will call you on one of your contact numbers on file and ask you to verify the transactions that way. So i'd check the contact numbers you've got are up to date.I work for Natwest.0
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It depends why they felt the transactions were suspect, if there were money laundering considerations they would be prohibited from telling you anything until the situation had been resolved.0
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It depends why they felt the transactions were suspect, if there were money laundering considerations they would be prohibited from telling you anything until the situation had been resolved.
I think it was because I'd made a £300 withdrawal from an ATM miles away from my registered home address.
I don't usually withdraw from this account, I usually just use it to transfer money online.
Maybe that flagged something up as 'unusual' activity.
As I said, I'm not annoyed in any way, I was just a bit concerned that I'd be stuck if this happened again and I didn't know.
Checked my numbers btw they are ok.Herman - MP for all!0 -
I think it was because I'd made a £300 withdrawal from an ATM miles away from my registered home address.
I don't usually withdraw from this account, I usually just use it to transfer money online.
Maybe that flagged something up as 'unusual' activity.
As I said, I'm not annoyed in any way, I was just a bit concerned that I'd be stuck if this happened again and I didn't know.
Checked my numbers btw they are ok.
Just be greatful that they put the block on your account. I'm sure if fraud had taken place and nothing was done about it there would have been kicking and screaming and the bank would have called every name under the sun.Im an ex employee RBS GroupHowever Any Opinion Given On MSE Is Strictly My Own0 -
I'm sure if fraud had taken place and nothing was done about it there would have been kicking and screaming and the bank would have called every name under the sun.
Really. Is that what you think? Do you think you know me?
What an absolutely ridiculous and assuming reply, especially given my previous comments.
You really shouldn't have bothered.Now whilst I am grateful that they are looking after my money in a responsible manner, it does worry me that they had blocked the account and not told me.As I said, I'm not annoyed in any way, I was just a bit concerned that I'd be stuck if this happened again and I didn't know.Herman - MP for all!0 -
This happened to me at The Halifax about 12 months ago.
I had (at the time) 3 reward accounts. I sent a cheque out on two of my reward accounts and then noticed that online the accounts had disappeared from view.
I rang them and all they would say was go into a branch with id.
So the next day I went into the branch and they said all my accounts had been blocked because I could only have one reward account. They downgraded two accounts and turned them into ordinary current accounts there and then.
The next day the two cheques I had written out were returned "refer to drawer", although cleared funds were in the accounts to pay them.
So I wrote a letter of complaint asking why they had not paid the cheques but complaining about the fact that they downgraded my accounts without giving me 60 days notice which is what they should have done.
They wrote and apologized and gave me £25 for each account. I closed the two downgraded accounts and opened another reward account with my partner as a joint account.
I always make sure when I buy petrol that I have more than one way of paying, in case this happens again.
Andy0 -
Each bank does seem to have different rules. I recently used my debit card twice in an ATM in Nepal, then in Delhi all within a few week. Nothing happened and card wasnt stopped. My mate did same and he got a phone call from his bank asking to verify the transaction.0
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