Cifas - Every day account

Elizabeth7

My only account has been closed, I have contacted with my bank and Cifas for details. It was 3 weeks ago now that I've been waiting for response. All my applications for a new account at any bank is refused. The Citizens Advice Bureau suggested to open an account at the Post Office. It is refused as well. Is it any place in the UK where I can open a basic , everyday account? It would be urgent, without account I can't get my wage as my employer pays account to account only.

cjv

Your employer may be able to pay them to a family members account with your written permission or something. Ask your employer and see if it is possible.

Elizabeth7

I'm on my own, have no family here.

cjv

There are cards that can act as a bank account for wage payments etc, which do not require credit checks. Google "no credit check bank account", they usually charge fees but it may help you in the short term while you get your fraud markers sorted out.

Elizabeth7

Thank you very much!

MSE_Chris

Elizabeth7 wrote: »

My only account has been closed, I have contacted with my bank and Cifas for details. It was 3 weeks ago now that I've been waiting for response. All my applications for a new account at any bank is refused. The Citizens Advice Bureau suggested to open an account at the Post Office. It is refused as well. Is it any place in the UK where I can open a basic , everyday account? It would be urgent, without account I can't get my wage as my employer pays account to account only.

Hi Elizabeth7,

I appreciate your concern here as having your sole account closed will have knock on effect (paying bills etc) so I'd suggest having a look at our guide to best advise about basic bank accounts:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/basic-bank-accounts

Hopefully this can help point you in the right direction and you can get an account set up.

Candyapple

Elizabeth7 wrote: »

My only account has been closed, I have contacted with my bank and Cifas for details. It was 3 weeks ago now that I've been waiting for response. All my applications for a new account at any bank is refused. The Citizens Advice Bureau suggested to open an account at the Post Office. It is refused as well. Is it any place in the UK where I can open a basic , everyday account? It would be urgent, without account I can't get my wage as my employer pays account to account only.

Did you send a subject access request and pay £10 to CIFAS to find out why? They usually respond within a matter of days - not weeks to requests (source: threads from this forum).

https://www.cifas.org.uk/sf_sars

How about a Cashplus prepaid MasterCard. You will get a sort code and account number to receive payments and wages can be paid to the account. See https://www.cashplus.co.uk.

Forget about applying for anything as it is only going to get rejected. You need to tackle the source of the problem first. CIFAS.

GarthThomas

It would help if you could say if you know why this was done. Is it a total mystery, or do you know exactly why, or somewhere in between?

Elizabeth7

I went for family visit abroad. During this time received a text message saying my card has been deactivated due to fraud activity, please contact the given telephone number. My heart stopped beating for a short while because I haven't used my UK card abroad, how can it be deactivated?! I looked for my card but haven't found and I wasn't sure have I left it in London or brought with me.
I tried to call the given number but it said this number does not exist. It might be because my mobile bundle doesn't support international phone calls.
I tried to log in via online banking system to see what's going on and report lost card but a text appeared that my account is blocked. I couldn't log in at all. I was now panicking.
I bought a flight ticket for next morning, travelled back to London, went to the bank, showed the text to the assistant, told I could not telephone the number, couldn't log in online and can't find my card.
She said I can call the given number but "it's pointless", the investigation is going on, does not matter what I say it won't change anything and it is too late to report lost card. I have to wait for the decision what can take 2 month and than all my accounts in the UK will be closed.
She was disrespectful and treated me as a criminal. I still get angry when recall the conversation.
After this I travelled back to my family to carry on my 'holiday'. But I and my family was anxious, I couldn't relax.
When i got back to London, a letter was waiting for me and said my account will be closed, find alternative banking solution, further information about the closure cannot be given, I can contact Cifas.

I thought okay than I will open an account somewhere else and I did. But it was closed in a very short while. I opened an other one and the same happened.
I was thinking is that really possible that i have no say in my own case as the Bangladeshi assistant said at my bank? So I went to the bank where everything started and asked how can I appeal. The answer, I can't and also I cannot get weider information about what has happened on my account. I have not seen bank statement so I still not know what happened!
I have found out that I will write a complain letter to this bank and tell the story as I do it now and ask exact details and bank statement. Plus attached the flight tickets as proof of evidence.

This was a month ago now and I have been still waiting for response.
I also contacted with Cifas, paid the fee, received the reply that the attached bank statement is not original (this statement is from one of the banks where i opened an account and was closed shortly ) . But this is the only statement what the bank gives, this is what I can give to Cifas but Cifas does not accept it and the staff at the bank states Cifas should accept it.

So this is where I am now. Squeezed and stucked situation.
I went for a family visit, when returned had a closed account and none of the organisations seems to be informative and helpful.
Can this happen just because a lost card?

I have applied for Basic account ( which is for bad credit scored customers) today as someone suggested on this website but I got appointment for 2 weeks time. So this month my wage goes to my friends account and I hope she is reliable and will give my money for me.
And the 'cocktail cherry' in the story is that I can't just quit from the situation and travel to my family abroad because the flight ticket can be paid via bank transfer. But! I have none.

Thank you all for your time and reading my story.
I hope someone can say something optimistic.

Arleen

So to make a long story short, you've provided bank statements with your application for a financial product, and they were ruled as fraudulent.

For a bank to say that a bank statement is fraudulent, it must either not come from the bank at all or have been altered in any way, shape or form. They have a very simple way of verifying it, as every statement comes with an ID number and banks talk. So what happened is that a clerk took your statement, called the bank which issued it, quoted the ID number, closing balance, you name and address and was told that this data does not correlate with what he sees on their system. They may have had a pleasant chat then about you, like do you have an account with them at all, and which part of the statement was doctored.

Which statements get extra scrutiny is a secret, but there are individual banks which are known for providing fraudulent statements/be easy victims to forgers, and they always get screened.

Of course, it's possible that they've made a mistake along the way, they are only humans. Now that you understand the process, you must take that bank statement to the bank which issued it and ask what's the problem. If they deem that the statement is indeed correct (get that in writing) go with that documentation to the bank which issued CIFAS marker. And that should clean it up.

Until you remove that cifas marker from your name, you will not be getting any financial products, likely including even most basic bank accounts. Heck, you may get fired from certain jobs (actually any job that cares, as being marked for fraud is usually ground enough to break employment). On top of that as submitting false documents to banks is a very serious issue, you still may face criminal prosecution. So get this cleared ASAP.

GarthThomas

That's quite hard to follow, but seems very strange, too. If a card has been deactivated for suspected fraud then why would you fly home? If your phone doesn't work abroad then no-one's next step would be to jump on a flight, you'd use the phone in a hotel, or buy a calling card and use a land line some other way.

What is the actual story here? What do you think has happened on your account that has caused the upset, and why the !!!! and bull around it?

If you want help you need to set out clearly what's going on.