Can a 14yr old be blacklisted?

Fighter1986

The issue of equality is a non starter here.

Any use of a personal account by a third party will trigger anti fraud, anti terrorism, and anti money laundering processes irrespective of any supposed protected status of the account holder.

We don't know the specifics, but worst case scenario the boy could allow terrorists to use the account to purchase weapons or transfer money between terrorist organisations for other nefarious reasons. 

This is the kind of risk no banking institution will expose themselves to, and they are under very strict regulation to ensure no such activity takes place, whether the account holder has ADHD, Autism, is a unicorn, or a three headed snake. 

bradders1983

....or a minor.

Hasbeen

bradders1983 said:

An appeal is pointless, especially if this involves a hollow promise of "it wont happen again" because you cant actually promise that.

I would agree, but perhaps if the Op gets into a discussion / dialogue with the bank there might be a way forward, once they are aware of circumstances? Not sure? That is why I said more learned advice is required.

Would not think a 14yr old could get anything on credit file etc that might affect future? But not au fait with that.

Hopefully Op comes back with outcome and gets  some more good advice on way forward if required?

Fighter1986

I don't want to rub salt in the wound here, I know that's how I might come across but that's not my intention, but my other half has raised another very harsh truth.

The bank required a parent be present when the account was opened as it's the parents responsibility to supervise and monitor account use, making sure it is appropriate and legal. 

eskbanker

rae2271 said:

I am contacting the bank later as have to have my son present. I will update this post as and when. 

Let me be clear, I am not using my sons autism - it’s a daily battle believe me. 

Perhaps worth preparing by considering exactly how you'd have expected them to accommodate your son's condition had they been aware of it in advance?

As with most large organisations, they do make significant efforts to comply with their obligations under equality legislation and publicise their resultant provisions at:
https://www.halifax.co.uk/accessibility/
https://www.halifax.co.uk/banking-with-halifax/extra-support/

I'm not sure exactly what 'AbilityNet accredited' entails but presume that it signifies something more substantial than lip service....

General_Grant

Surely a 14-y-o doesn't need to have a bank account when they have shown they are not capable of running it properly.  Maybe when they are 16?

bradders1983

General_Grant said:

Surely a 14-y-o doesn't need to have a bank account when they have shown they are not capable of running it properly.  Maybe when they are 16?

I had a card account from I think the age of 11. Absolutely no issue if people know how to use them correctly.

Fighter1986

General_Grant said:

Surely a 14-y-o doesn't need to have a bank account when they have shown they are not capable of running it properly.  Maybe when they are 16?

Agreed. 

Accept what has happened.

Understand why it has happened.

Teach the boy to accept the consequences of his actions and why what he did was wrong. 

It's freakin' tough at that age, but it's a vital step in their personal development. 

phillw

The Equality Act says there's a duty to make reasonable adjustments if you're placed at a substantial disadvantage because of your disability compared with non-disabled people or people who don't share your disability.

I guess it comes down to whether you can successfully argue that it would be reasonable for the bank to override their legal requirement to obey anti money laundering laws, in the case of someone who has a disability that makes it difficult for them to understand the difference between right from wrong.

onlyfoolsandparking

rae2271 said:

onlyfoolsandparking said:

bradders1983 said:

Why would any bank reopen this account and leave it open for exactly the same thing to happen again?

They havent closed the account because of the disability.  They have closed it because of suspected fraud.

I suspect they have closed it only due to not being AWARE of the OP,s sons 'protected status' will be interesting to see if the OP does come back with answers on what Halifax have proposed to do IF he does make them aware although sadly as we all know a lot of new posters don't come back. 

I am contacting the bank later as have to have my son present. I will update this post as and when. 

Let me be clear, I am not using my sons autism - it’s a daily battle believe me. 

You don't have to justify your son's Autism to anyone least of all me, I know exactly how challenging Autism is and I know for some It absolutely is a daily battle. I only wish you the best of luck in dealing with this stressful situation and commend you for wanting to do the very best for your son and in a small attempt to bring a smile to your face, always remember if it wasn't for Autism we wouldn't have Computers, Ipads, Iphones or even the Internet!! . Please do come back and tell us how Halifax deal with this, it could prove very helpful for others who have or are around people with ASD or indeed any other challenging condition.