can't get a bank account!

terracedhouse_2

my son is 17 and has been refused account facilities by 3 major high street banks. One bank has indictated that their records state he has lived at another address, which is incorrect; he has lived at the same address since birth. We have complained but the complaints get nowhere. We have applied through equifax to get a credit report but they say they can't issue one as he is under 18. he has a Saturday job with a high street chain store and they are pressing him for bank account details so he can have his wages paid in....it's proving to be very difficult to explain. Contemplating a complaint to the ombudsman but of course that will take months - need a solution to get to the bottom of this right now! Any ideas?

[Deleted User]

Maybe try applying for a basic bank account? These are generally not advertised and you may have to ask for it specifically. Barclays Cash Card account and Co-op money minder are two of them.

Alternatively in the mean time is it possible for his wages to be paid into your account?

terracedhouse_2

thank you. He's applied for basic bank accounts to NatWest, Barclays, and HSBC and every time we get the same standard letter saying account facilities are being withdrawn. He's using our account for now to pay wages cheques in, but of course would like/need to have his own account eventually, and the store keeps asking him for his own bank account details and he finds it difficult to explain the problem.. Will try co-op and see; possibly one of the non UK banks as well - Habib Bank or Bank of Cyprus etc.....don't know if it will be any different. Considered straight forward post office savings account and might apply there as well.

Spoke to action fraud this afternoon - they say may be a fraud marker on the account as he - stupidly - allowed someone to pay money in his first bank account a few months back; he is a vulnerable young person with depression issues and is easily led. Someone told him they've just got a job and no bank account to pay thier first pay cheque in and could they use his account. Since then he's had all this trouble. But what concerns us is that Barclays seem to think he's lived at another address when he hasn't.

Will speak to Information Commisisoner office tomorrow to see what more we can find out. Thanks for response.

MoneySaverLog

terracedhouse wrote: »

Spoke to action fraud this afternoon - they say may be a fraud marker on the account as he - stupidly - allowed someone to pay money in his first bank account a few months back; he is a vulnerable young person with depression issues and is easily led. Someone told him they've just got a job and no bank account to pay thier first pay cheque in and could they use his account. Since then he's had all this trouble. But what concerns us is that Barclays seem to think he's lived at another address when he hasn't.

This has all the hall marks that someone is using his identity. If he cannot open a basic bank account it also indicates that as a result a Fraud marker has been put on his file and the two addresses linked.

I'd suggest contacting CIFAS, and possibly seek Protective Registration with them.

Who knows what else these people who used his bank account know about him, they could and may well be up to all sorts in his name.

SharynH

Hi the same thing happened to my Little Sister is there anything that can be done so that she can open a bank account she is now 18 and went through the same experience at 17

jonesMUFCforever

At 17 he cannot open a basic bank account.
These are for adults.
He needs a youth account.
He will need a birth certificate or passport an an appropriate adult to confirm his address who also banks with the same bank.

However if he does indeed have a fraud indicator then banks may well decline his application.

reclusive46

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

At 17 he cannot open a basic bank account.
These are for adults.
He needs a youth account.
He will need a birth certificate or passport an an appropriate adult to confirm his address who also banks with the same bank.

However if he does indeed have a fraud indicator then banks may well decline his application.

Not true, a lot of basic current accounts are from 16 and the co-ops standard current account is available from 16.

pmduk

reclusive46 wrote: »

Not true, a lot of basic current accounts are from 16 and the co-ops standard current account is available from 16.

Whilst this is true a CIFAS marker (if this proves to be the problem) will make any of these difficult to obtain. Perhaps a building society savings account?

reclusive46

pmduk wrote: »

Whilst this is true a CIFAS marker (if this proves to be the problem) will make any of these difficult to obtain. Perhaps a building society savings account?

Indeed, They could try contacting CIFAS.

terracedhouse_2

thank you for all the input,that is really kind.

Well today we had an appointment with our local Barclays branch to discuss this but, as anticipated really, they say they can't do anything and can't tell us anything further. The guy suggested we now go to the ombudsman and that it woudn't be worth us writing in first to ask for info to be disclosed under the Data Protection Act (as advised by ICO who I spoke to this morning).

I've had a quick look at CIFAS, and will submit an application for protective registration. I was thinking perhaps we may need to formally report this as a fraud on line - not sure what exactly to report though: whether we report the fact that we think someone is using his ID or the fact that he was duped into allowing someon else to use his bank account ( which means he was involved in money laundering). Worried about repercussions as well. Although he is young and he is / was vulnerable. He is actually much better now and making great progress but at the time this happened a few months ago he was at a real low and really haphazard in his thinking patterns and foolishly allowed someone else to use his account and got some cash in return as well. If we do submit a police report and it is investigated, could we use the outcome of the police investigation to support a request to the bank/s concerned to remove the fraud marker? Who actually puts the fraud marker up there? That's what we are unclear about.

thanks again.

terracedhouse_2

ps - thinking to apply for a basic savings account at one of the smaller banks before applying to CIFAS