Cifas Marker

T-G-C

If they closed the account, then the standard procedure is to leave a footprint on the CIFAS database, to ensure that other financial institutions are aware. This will hinder access to mainstream banking etc. as explained above until around 2025.

If your described scenario is true, then I am fully sympathetic of your circumstances and being such a young age, are not aware of how strict financial institutions are. However, this does need reporting to the police. For all you know, this could be verified by CCTV etc. and therefore could place you in the clear. If this happened in the public domain, then CCTV should have covered the incident area.

Whilst it is not common practice, the bank can and have in the past reversed decisions of account closure and removed a CIFAS entry. The bank needs assertion that the customer is a victim rather than a perpetrator. They cannot conclude this based on your word and therefore must act within the law and isolate the current source of the seemingly illegitimate money.

I can understand why some people are skeptical of your story, although the premise of it would not surprise me in this era, as gangs in possession of unclean funds are known to entice innocent bankers into laundering it through the financial network. That being said, to be held captive like that in the middle of the day and forced to be used a mule is either sheer bad luck or a cover-up. The fact that we are skeptical is nothing to what the bank must think.

If you are using a cover-up story in an attempt to evade penalty for laundering cash either for or within a gang, then you are unlikely to succeed and must take the brunt.

garth549

I'm sorry but your story sounds very dodgy and like a cover to me. What exactly happened?

If you've voluntarily offered up your account to 'receive payments' or be a 'payment processor' for someone in return for payment or a cut of the money then that's money laundering which is a very serious crime.

jimbo26

garth549 wrote: »

I'm sorry but your story sounds very dodgy and like a cover to me. What exactly happened?

If you've voluntarily offered up your account to 'receive payments' or be a 'payment processor' for someone in return for payment or a cut of the money then that's money laundering which is a very serious crime.

You're right, sounds like he was a willing mule, caught out and trying to pull some story together to get out of it.

MsGeorge88

Whatever the situation that is not for you guys to judge. The guy ask for advice on what to do, if you have none to offer, don't comment!

Like others have said, go to the police and report them! They will mostly target someone else if not taken off the streets.

Kentish_Dave

VGeorge wrote: »

Whatever the situation that is not for you guys to judge. The guy ask for advice on what to do, if you have none to offer, don't comment!

Like others have said, go to the police and report them! They will mostly target someone else if not taken off the streets.

You don’t understand how this works do you, you don’t get to tell people whether to respond or not.

I agree with the others, it sounds exactly what a willing mule would say when caught, and I suspect that this is what happened.

Irrespective of that, though, the only route likely to have a positive outcome is to report the kidnapping and extortion to the police. It’s a very serious crime that will likely see the gang jailed for significant sentences. There will be cctv of their actions, DNA and fingerprints on the cards, and so a decent chance of conviction.

Someone who has been through this just deciding to let it go is completely implausible.

MsGeorge88

You don’t understand how this works do you, you don’t get to tell people whether to respond or not.

And you don't get to tell people they are liars!

I am very much aware of how this is supposed to work thank you.

jimbo26

VGeorge wrote: »

Whatever the situation that is not for you guys to judge. The guy ask for advice on what to do, if you have none to offer, don't comment!

Like others have said, go to the police and report them! They will mostly target someone else if not taken off the streets.

His only option has been explained to him. Of course if he is making it up his problems will be compounded if he makes a false report to police.

Options are.

1. If you were a willing mule. Suck it up.

2. If this was genuine report it to the police. Obtain a crime number and liaise with your bank in order to get the CIFAS marker removed or changed to victim of fraud.

worried_jim

VGeorge wrote: »

And you don't get to tell people they are liars!

I am very much aware of how this is supposed to work thank you.

I'd imagine most posters on this thread have some detailed knowledge regarding Cifas, I myself spent 5 years in a high St banks fraud department and applied Cifas markers all day.
Most cases are/were pretty similar and easy to spot a bit like when a teacher asks for homework and is met with I left it on the bus.
Suspicions arise also when the OP fails to comeback and add detail or answer any questions, it's not a case of calling them a liar, more so experience smelling a BS story, and one that has been told countless times before.