RBS goes kafkaesque

magicspoons

Here's a nice ongoing farce brought to me courtesy of RBS' fraud team:

Signed up to Monzo two weeks ago because it's super easy to setup standing orders for my various saving accounts through the app. Plus standing orders will go through on non working days.

Because RBS has a regular saver connected to it, I decided to leave it open rather than switch so last night I transferred my remaining funds (~£500) to my monzo account.

Immediately I got an automated text from RBS saying this looked suspicious and I would be getting a call from the fraud team before the transfer could go through. Okay, bit annoying, but probably nothing too rigorous, right?

They called me this morning and put me through to a handler who did the usual security. He then started asking me what the transfer was for and where it was going. I answered as above.

Then he asks me "Have you been on your standing orders page recently?" Which kind of threw me off a bit, just because it seemed so mundane. Like, I'll idly check my standing orders every so often just to see what date it's coming out on, so I said yes. It did feel like an interrogation at this point.

Anyway, none of this was good enough evidently and he said I'd need to go into my branch to prove who I was and show them evidence of this Monzo account. (This is all done under the pretense of safeguarding by the way).

I got annoyed here and said don't bother, just cancel the transfer and I'll take it out of the wall or something else.... Can't do that now, you've got to go into branch.

Then I argued a bit, futilely, asking in what way showing details for this monzo account in branch is any different to doing it online, other than exposing myself and others to potential infection.

The response was basically "just because". 

Just jump through these hoops, guy, then you can have your money back. Not happy.

So next, I'm in my local branch, with driving license and printed copy of monzo statement. The customer advisor is nice enough but has no ability to contact the fraud team, it seems like she doesn't really know what she needs from me. She takes some details from my docs, tells me to ring the fraud team again and I go home.

At home I ring the fraud team straight away, get through fairly quickly. The girl goes through security again, asks me to read back some of my own details from the docs I just gave them in branch. Uhuh-uhuh.

She goes on to explain that because they don't have the sort code and bank account number of my monzo account (?), I'll have to go back to branch and show them it on my phone - like, show them my monzo app.

The tone of her voice was that of someone having to say something stupid because they have to.

Back to branch, I take my phone. I show my monzo app on the page with the sort code and account number, the advisor copies this onto the file that the fraud team opened, I leave.

I have just now tried to ring the fraud team again, as no sign of the transfer yet, but got booted off the holding pattern after about 20 mins.

I am a dog at Crufts, and RBS is my incompetent and overbearing trainer.

magicspoons

But in all seriousness, how does this protect vulnerable people from scams, when said vulnerable person then has to go into branch to prove who they are and expose themselves?

Especially if they need that cash for DDs or food, what are they meant to do then? Unarranged overdraft and missed payment time?

Luckily I had my employer pay into my monzo account this month so I'm good, but otherwise I'd be stuffed because RBS have frozen my entire account!

This is totally an overreaction by RBS. I'm complaining through their in house procedure and I'll be taking it to the FCA, most likely.

I genuinely think this could be more than a nuisance for some people, it could actually precipitate a personal financial crisis if it catches someone at the wrong time of the month. We all know how on the edge a lot of people are financially in the UK.

Yahoo_Mail

magicspoons said:

But in all seriousness, how does this protect vulnerable people from scams, when said vulnerable person then has to go into branch to prove who they are and expose themselves?

Expose themselves to what?

ThumbRemote

Yahoo_Mail said:

magicspoons said:

But in all seriousness, how does this protect vulnerable people from scams, when said vulnerable person then has to go into branch to prove who they are and expose themselves?

Expose themselves to what?

Has the last 12 months completely passed you by?

Yahoo_Mail

ThumbRemote said:

Yahoo_Mail said:

magicspoons said:

But in all seriousness, how does this protect vulnerable people from scams, when said vulnerable person then has to go into branch to prove who they are and expose themselves?

Expose themselves to what?

Has the last 12 months completely passed you by?

He said "how does this protect them from scams"  so what does being exposed to Coronavirus and being protected from scams have to do with one another?

Since the two have nothing to do with one another my assumption was they must be talking about being exposed to something else, hence my question.  Not hard, is it?

IvanOpinion

magicspoons said:

But in all seriousness, how does this protect vulnerable people from scams, when said vulnerable person then has to go into branch to prove who they are and expose themselves?

Do that and they will probably call the police.