Why do Santander block access for no apparent reason?

schiff

For the umpteenth time I've had access to my account blocked, so I'm in for another lengthy inquisition. Luckily I've completed most but not all of the movements to regular savers etc due today. My Tipton RS proceeds went in today, a couple of long standing DDs taken out. I've made about ten or so payments out, EVERY one of them in my list of payees I've paid before. I had hoped that their new set-up re payees would probably stop these blockages, but it clearly hasn't.
Nobody in their right mind could take issue with what I've done today. It can only be based on a figure ie that once transactions total £X000 or the number of transactions exceed a certain number - then ping the machine steps in. There ought to be a Santander rep on here to pose questions to like this.

Lightning360

Every bank does this. Something you've done will have triggered their systems so they will have to review your account. 

Personally, Santander has never blocked assess to my account so this isn't something I've experienced. 

Thrugelmir

Personal accounts with unusual levels of activity are going to get flagged by AML software that's a fact of life. 

eskbanker

schiff said:

It can only be based on a figure ie that once transactions total £X000 or the number of transactions exceed a certain number - then ping the machine steps in. There ought to be a Santander rep on here to pose questions to like this.

Surely you wouldn't expect Santander (or indeed any other bank) to disclose any details of their fraud prevention measures, never mind doing so on a public website?!

Daliah

Thrugelmir said:

Personal accounts with unusual levels of activity are going to get flagged by AML software that's a fact of life. 

What are "unusual levels of activity"?

Is it "unusual level of activity" if someone uses a Santander123 Lite account for incoming payments from 3rd parties and from their own accounts at other banks, about a dozen of DDs, some ad-hoc payments to 3rd parties and to other accounts in their own name, and as their hub for outgoing and incoming money for their Regular Savers (of which they currently have over 20). Say they had £31.7K coming in, and £30K going out in December, over £2K net different from their average, and many outgoing and incoming payments changing all the time (different amounts, different payees/payers) - is that classed as "unusual levels of activity"?

FWIW, my Santander accounts have never been blocked in the 10+ years I have used them. There was one occasion in 2014 where they blocked a payment to a new recipient, a local Builder, for a couple of days, for no discernable reason. They paid me £25 as an apology for this.

@schiff, if you get repeat blockages and are certain (which I am sure you are) that none of your transactions could be considered even remotely dodgy, I would raise a formal complaint with Santander. If their automatic algorithms keep blocking you, perhaps it's time they tweaked their algorithms.

schiff

51 minutes on the phone, 36 of them queueing, and I got it sorted. I've got the direct number for the Security Team, my phone number was instantly recognised and from last time I'd got voice recognition installed - all of which worked this time. So I was hopeful it would be quicker. It was, a bit anyway. Didn't have to dig out my cheque book and give details of some of my regular DDs. New question this time - do I have the app and how do I access my account. The app has been unusable for me over the last few days, don't know why, but at the end of the inquisition and before the automatic stuff, it was the first thing unblocked. 

It felt as if it was going OK but I had to go through all my transactions today (15), had to listen to the list of all the measures that Santander take to prevent fraud etc and was given the long list of how fraudsters set about trapping me.

Finally, my last attempted FP to Nationwide - which of course didn't go as NW were in the middle of their outage. I suppose this must have triggered something and I would guess that it was what blocked my account. NW are on my list of established payees.

My hearing is poor and phone calls are always a trial, so I missed a lot of it (not the girl's fault) and just tried to focus on the bits that mattered. It helped that near the end I was able to get my account showing online on my MacBook.

The staff must be bored stiff with it.

schiff

Thrugelmir said:

Personal accounts with unusual levels of activity are going to get flagged by AML software that's a fact of life. 

Everything today in my account is boringly usual. No person, as opposed to a machine, would find anything unusual. 

topcat105

schiff said:

51 minutes on the phone, 36 of them queueing, and I got it sorted. I've got the direct number for the Security Team, my phone number was instantly recognised and from last time I'd got voice recognition installed - all of which worked this time. So I was hopeful it would be quicker. It was, a bit anyway. Didn't have to dig out my cheque book and give details of some of my regular DDs. New question this time - do I have the app and how do I access my account. The app has been unusable for me over the last few days, don't know why, but at the end of the inquisition and before the automatic stuff, it was the first thing unblocked. 

It felt as if it was going OK but I had to go through all my transactions today (15), had to listen to the list of all the measures that Santander take to prevent fraud etc and was given the long list of how fraudsters set about trapping me.

Finally, my last attempted FP to Nationwide - which of course didn't go as NW were in the middle of their outage. I suppose this must have triggered something and I would guess that it was what blocked my account. NW are on my list of established payees.

My hearing is poor and phone calls are always a trial, so I missed a lot of it (not the girl's fault) and just tried to focus on the bits that mattered. It helped that near the end I was able to get my account showing online on my MacBook.

The staff must be bored stiff with it.

You're lucky you could sort it over the phone !
OH had to go in branch today with his passport.
His account has been blocked since Sunday.
No idea why. It was opened a few months ago and apart from a couple of transfers (and switching bonus) no other transactions.
He asked what the problem was but of course they wouldn't say.