Problem with virgin money savings account (warning to potential customers)

SarahD92

@EachPenny
Could you please stop providing false information. At no point, have I said that I am refusing to provide information for ID checks, what you're saying is not true. I am only against providing excessive amounts of info which could fall into the wrong hands as they sometimes do. I get it, you like banks and you trust them with your life, feel free to provide as much information as you'd like to your bank.

By the way, I'm not arguing with you, so you really don't need to respond.

SarahD92

economic wrote: »

Just stick to the main banks with large savings. Nationwide have been good.

You're absolutely right, I guess I was fooled by the brand, and thought they might be trustworthy.

Sceptic001

OP, did you see my post #28?

You do not have to post the ID, which seems to be one of your concerns. You can take it into a Virgin store.

SarahD92

Sceptic001 wrote: »

OP, did you see my post #28?

You do not have to post the ID, which seems to be one of your concerns. You can take it into a Virgin store.

Sorry for the late reply. I actually do have to post it according to the person I spoke to over the phone. Not that I'd be happier to take the docs to the store anyway, the person at the store will have my DOB, address, bank account number/sort code, NIC, tax information, phone number, and the answers to the security questions on the account. Why do people think that this is safe?

EachPenny

SarahD92 wrote: »

@EachPenny
Could you please stop providing false information. At no point, have I said that I am refusing to provide information for ID checks, what you're saying is not true. I am only against providing excessive amounts of info which could fall into the wrong hands as they sometimes do. I get it, you like banks and you trust them with your life, feel free to provide as much information as you'd like to your bank.

By the way, I'm not arguing with you, so you really don't need to respond.

[my bold]

You do love throwing accusations around, not necessarily supported by facts.

You said:

SarahD92 wrote: »

I have no problem providing one form of ID, but the other documents they're asking for is another matter, it is simply too much, just imagine someone in the bank gets access to all those documents.

You would have been told when you opened the account, and again on here, that it is standard for banks to ask for two forms of ID, sometimes more if there is any uncertainty.

If you are only willing to provide one form of ID and the bank needs two then you are, by definition,

...refusing to provide information to allow the ID checks the bank is obliged to make.

No need to provide me with an apology for falsely accusing me of "providing false information". I wouldn't have the money to be able to afford to sue you for defamation because the rotten banks have taken it all off me.

Uxb

I often (if not every time) fail the electronic checks.
I think it is because I have lived here for so long the computers think there is dodgy data in the "how long have you lived there" answer that I provide.
So I have had to post a certified copy of my passport and an original of address verification document like a credit card bill, bank statement etc umpteen times to a financial organisation to open an account over the years. It might have been 15 or 20 times I've lost count
I just have them on file now ready to send off at a moment's notice.

Those accounts which I opened decades ago when ID verification was basically zero typically with investment firms like M&G will refuse to do a transaction (invest/sell) for me IF they do not hold ID for me to the CURRENT standard.
So they have requested in the past when I wanted to transact that until I provide full ID to current standards they will block the transaction.

One Building Society who already had recent ID in the last few years made an account dormant through my non use of it
To re-activate it and make a transaction on it I again had to send in the full ID set by post.
I did have a moan when another B.Society did take it a bit far when they asked for re-ID verification documents only 6 months after the last ID request.

Since we in the UK do not have a national ID card this sort of thing is normal now.
Even when I want to renew or get a new ticket for the Public Record Office in Kew, London I have to turn up with yes my passport and an original of an address verification document such as a bank statement etc from their list of acceptable documents for them to log.

Oh yes finally the UK is almost unique in the whole world by having free banking when in credit: some even pay interest on your current accounts! Pretty well everywhere else in the world you have to pay a monthly charge to have a bank account to cover the costs to the bank in running the facility for you.

colsten

SarahD92

@EachPenny

You're still misrepresenting the information that I have provided.

I am very much happy to provide ID(s) to the Virgin Money, what I am not happy about providing is all the other docs that they're asking for. Simply because having all that information about me puts me at a severe risk of fraud.

I like how you concentrate on one minor detail, rather than paying attention to the more important issues, such as the fact Virgin Money have restricted my access to my savings without so much as saying a word to me....unbelievable!

talexuser

SarahD92 wrote: »

You learn from your failures I guess, hopefully this post will help at least one person from making the same mistake.

I'll certainly not make the mistake of not satisfying identity criteria so I can't get hold of my money.

EachPenny

Hi Sarah, I'm not sure you are going to listen, but I'm willing to try again.

You asked for advice at the top of this thread. People with vast knowledge and experience (not necessarily including me) of dealing with banks in this situation have offered you advice on how the system works and what you need to do to get access to your money.

You need to understand this: There is a system, banks have to follow it, it is there for the protection of you, us, and the banks. The system is designed to spot discrepancies and behaviours which may indicate fraud or other illegal activity. If an individual transaction or interaction triggers something in the system, the level of checking may be increased. Sometimes it is frustrating, but at the end of the day it is necessary to stop all of us being victims of fraud.

Consider this scenario. Lets say you live at 14 Acacia Avenue. When you filled in your online application you put in your postcode and got a list of addresses. You clicked on 15 Acacia Avenue by mistake and didn't notice before you continued.

Two things will now happen: Firstly, there is no record of you on the credit and anti-fraud databases living at 15 Acacia Avenue - this will ring many alarm bells. Secondly, Virgin write to you at the address you gave. The occupants of 15 Acacia Avenue have recieved six letters addressed to someone they don't know and (hopefully) they have just shredded them and put them in the bin.

Virgin have tried to contact you at the address you gave to verify your ID but got no response - alarm bell. Someone phones claiming to be you and when asked to provide the necessary ID becomes evasive and perhaps a little aggressive. More alarm bells.

At this point your situation goes beyond the standard ID checks. You've been flagged up as 'high risk' and you will need to provide more than the basic ID documents (many of which are easy to fake) to allow more detailed checking to be done.

This is the important bit: The more you stamp your feet and say no, the more you will give the impression that something is not right. You will escalate the matter rather than resolve it. You need to do a 180 and provide the documents Virgin reasonably need to confirm who you are.

Meanwhile, the documents sent to 15 Acacia Avenue weren't shredded, but were instead opened by the owner Fraudy McFraudface. He now has information about you and the accounts you have opened, you've helped him by linking your accounts to his address. Banks treat a postal address as more secure than phone numbers or emails, so communications will go there rather than to you.

Now, all the time you are shouting and name calling is giving Mr McFraudface time to make use of your information. If Virgin get a phone call about your account, how will they know whether it is actually you or Mrs McFraudface they are speaking to?

That puts you at a far more serious risk of fraud than the remotely possible chance that someone within Virgin money handling your documents is going to use that information for personal gain.

So, please, do yourself a favour and contact Virgin ASAP to ask how you can provide them with all the information you possibly can to confirm who you are and where you live so you can secure your account and then gain access to your money.

The problem might not be an incorrect address as I've postulated above, but if it was me and my life savings I wouldn't be worrying about that, I'd be doing everything I could to make sure my money was safe.

Once you've done that and found out exactly what has gone wrong then, by all means, if Virgin were at fault you should consider making a complaint. But make that complaint after you've fixed the problem and got the facts.

I don't want to be argumentative, but would just add that my last post concentrated on one detail because that was the detail you falsely accused me of providing false information about. You will see my earlier posts covered many more points, including the possibility that you didn't get the letters because your address is wrong.

I genuinely hope that you get this sorted and regain access to your money.