Halifax Locked my Account and will not Unlock it

Johnstone101

Hi,

I have moved overseas, which the bank are aware of and all of my details have been updated to reflect this. Every two weeks they decide to block my account due to transactions being made overseas, despite the transactions being made to the same place from the same IP.

The only way for me to contact Halifax is via Twitter. Apparently they will only call three times before they will no longer call. As I have already used up my three calls, they have told me that I have the following options:

1. Fly back to the UK and visit them in branch to sort it out.

Aside from this being ridiculous, it is not possible to book a flight due to my account being blocked.

2. Make a reverse charge call to them.

They do not accept the reverse charge call.

3. Call them via Skype.

I cannot purchase Skype credits due to my account being blocked.

They have told me that they will not provide any further assistance and I will remain unable to access my own money.

What can I do now?

JuicyJesus

Write a letter of complaint. They have a complaints form on their website. Failing that, find a normal phone to call them from and ask for them to reimburse the costs.

They are being remarkably unreasonable based on what you say and FOS will probably side with you.

Anthorn

Johnstone101 wrote: »

Hi,

I have moved overseas, which the bank are aware of and all of my details have been updated to reflect this. Every two weeks they decide to block my account due to transactions being made overseas, despite the transactions being made to the same place from the same IP.

The only way for me to contact Halifax is via Twitter. Apparently they will only call three times before they will no longer call. As I have already used up my three calls, they have told me that I have the following options:

1. Fly back to the UK and visit them in branch to sort it out.

Aside from this being ridiculous, it is not possible to book a flight due to my account being blocked.

2. Make a reverse charge call to them.

They do not accept the reverse charge call.

3. Call them via Skype.

I cannot purchase Skype credits due to my account being blocked.

They have told me that they will not provide any further assistance and I will remain unable to access my own money.

What can I do now?

So they block your account every two weeks or is that badly stated?

There must be a reason for it, Halifax don't block accounts for no reason. I suspect a fraud investigation and that is likely if your credits to your account are not from a verifiable source, i.e. you have directly deposited cash. Usually if your credits are a transfer from a regular bank they will not pose a problem since the U.K. bank can offload their responsibility re. money laundering to that bank.

In the case of a fraud investigation all you can do is wait it out and see what happens. They will not allow you access to your money if that money is suspected as being a product of fraud.

DCFC79

Would it not be easier to get an account where you are and use that, if your wages are paid into Barclays get it paid into another account.

Johnstone101

JuicyJesus wrote: »

Write a letter of complaint. They have a complaints form on their website. Failing that, find a normal phone to call them from and ask for them to reimburse the costs.

Thanks. I have just done this. Amusingly they will call to deal with a complaint about how they will not call me to allow me to unblock my account, but they won't call me so that I can unblock my account.

You really couldn't make this up.

Anthorn wrote: »

So they block your account every two weeks or is that badly stated?

It averages out as once every two weeks over the last 8 weeks when this started.

There must be a reason for it, Halifax don't block accounts for no reason. I suspect a fraud investigation

There is no fraud investigation. I have spoken to them over the phone during the previous incidents and they said that they blocked it because they thought somebody was using my card and they needed to make sure that it was me.

DCFC79 wrote: »

Would it not be easier to get an account where you are and use that, if your wages are paid into Barclays get it paid into another account.

No because I cannot open a GBP bank account here, which is the currency I need.

eDicky

So you have 'moved overseas' but have your UK bank account with Halifax as your only source of funds, nothing else and nothing arranged locally, you rely on that one account and card to pay for everything and have no other way to top-up a Skype account and no way to make a phone call, left yourself with nothing, in the knowledge that Halifax block your account every two weeks...?

Are you implying that Halifax might be to blame for your predicament?

If this isn't the nonsense it sounds like, if any of it is true, you'd better start walking to the nearest British consulate and apply for repatriation assistance.

jonesMUFCforever

OP so where are you based?
Why can you not open a local bank account?
Have you thought of asking any bank in UK about their ex pat accounts which would be based offshore but working in sterling (or most other major currencies if you prefer)?
Have you logged in to your Halifax internet site and under ''My Profile'' updated your travel plans which might stop some future blocks?

Johnstone101

eDicky wrote: »

If this isn't the nonsense it sounds like, if any of it is true, you'd better start walking to the nearest British consulate and apply for repatriation assistance.

Why have you even posted? Why would make this up? If you're trying to troll, got somewhere else.

Halifax did this after I moved. Not before. It would have been crazy to fly back to the UK to open another bank account with somebody else.in case they did it again after it happened the first or second time. Especially since the first three times were quickly resolved. It is only a problem now.

If you think it's right for banks to constantly block accounts because transactions are coming from your new address and they know you have moved there, then yes, I am to blame.

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

OP so where are you based?
Why can you not open a local bank account?
Have you thought of asking any bank in UK about their ex pat accounts which would be based offshore but working in sterling (or most other major currencies if you prefer)?
Have you logged in to your Halifax internet site and under ''My Profile'' updated your travel plans which might stop some future blocks?

I have a local bank account, but the funds come from my Halifax.

I make money using GBP and it has to come from a UK based bank account.

Everything has been updated with the bank. They just seem to like blocking it after a number of transactions are made outside of the UK.

Anthorn

Johnstone101 wrote: »

Thanks. I have just done this. Amusingly they will call to deal with a complaint about how they will not call me to allow me to unblock my account, but they won't call me so that I can unblock my account.

You really couldn't make this up.

It averages out as once every two weeks over the last 8 weeks when this started.


There is no fraud investigation. I have spoken to them over the phone during the previous incidents and they said that they blocked it because they thought somebody was using my card and they needed to make sure that it was me.


No because I cannot open a GBP bank account here, which is the currency I need.

I don't see the problem. You have an address in the country you reside in so you just walk into a bank branch with ID and open an account. Of course the account is designated in the local currency but transfers to your U.K. bank should be automatically converted into GBP.

If the country is in the E.U. you don't even need an address in that country. You just provide evidence of your U.K. address which at this time makes you a resident of the E.U.

jonesMUFCforever

Johnstone101 wrote: »

Why have you even posted? Why would make this up? If you're trying to troll, got somewhere else.

Halifax did this after I moved. Not before. It would have been crazy to fly back to the UK to open another bank account with somebody else.in case they did it again after it happened the first or second time. Especially since the first three times were quickly resolved. It is only a problem now.

If you think it's right for banks to constantly block accounts because transactions are coming from your new address and they know you have moved there, then yes, I am to blame.

I have a local bank account, but the funds come from my Halifax.

I make money using GBP and it has to come from a UK based bank account.

Everything has been updated with the bank. They just seem to like blocking it after a number of transactions are made outside of the UK.

So what is the big secret? Where are you based - it could have a bearing on why the bank continues to block your account.

PeacefulWaters

Inflexible procedures for an unusual but not unique set of circumstances.

Yup, sounds like Lloyds Banking Group.

But it is a lesson in having more than one way to get hold of cash, especially if you're outside the UK.