Dealing with account freeze (Santander)

anigys

Santander froze my account when I was trying to make a transfer (to my account in a different bank) they found suspicious. They claim this is fraud prevention, ie. they want to make sure that I don't lose my money or something.

I tried doing everything to convince them that the transaction is genuine, but to no avail. I started by calling them and going through a scam questionnaire ("do you recognize this transaction, what is this for", etc.) but afterward they didn't just unblock the account but rather told me that they'll call me back within 48 hours (but couldn't tell when) or I can pop in a branch.

I saw a missed call shortly after and called them back, but they told me that they cannot go forward with unblocking, but rather I need to go through the scam questionnaire again, and they'll schedule another call back.

This has gone for a couple of rounds, after which I went to a branch hoping to resolve it there but there they only gave me a phone and asked to go through the questionnaire again and told me again they'll call. The calls became more sparse (once every week or so), and I didn't manage to catch any of these.

Right now, I'm at some ~6 calls to them and another ~6 visits to a couple of branches. The account is blocked since a month, the complaint is with FOS, but I'm afraid this will take forever to resolve. I also tried switching account to a different one and asked them to close the account but they refused both. I sent them a BAL but I don't think I can really sue them until FOS makes a decision.

At the last scam questionnaire I told them that I lost my phone number (as t&c say that they'll only contact me in writing anyway) so that they don't try to call again but they tried anyway (and I missed it again as I didn't expect it).

I'm going to go to the branch again on Tuesday and go through the questionnaire again and try to answer the call for the next couple of days but I am considering what will happen if I told them that at this point I don't remember this transaction anymore as this was already a month ago? As I understand it, they won't repeat the transaction anyway and I just want to get my money back and run away. Can someone explain what happens when you say you don't recognize a transaction?

Sorry for the long post, this is super annoying for me and I'm kinda out of ideas.

sutton111

It sounds like you are your own worst enemy when answering the phone, lol. If my account was on hold and I wanted my money, I could imagine missing one or two but constantly, over a month. No.

I understand the frustration, but my best advice would be to revisit the branch and get assistance with the questionnaire. I’d make an official complaint online about them not contacting you and the hold. Still, my principal suggestion would be to answer the phone.

trust.no.1

Sigh.:( There are a fair few account block tales of woe due to suspicious transactions or AML measures on MSE. For that reason I have accounts with different banks as well as a healthy offline emergency fund in cash.  I simply would not keep all my money in Financial Institutions. 

Yes...Yes... I know that there are millions of bank account holders who have never or will never have their accounts frozen , but I simply am not wiling to take the risk. Despite visiting a physical bank branch (increasingly difficult to find these days) and multiple phone calls the OP is still without access to their account.

Wish the OP well.

anigys

sutton111 said:

Still, my principal suggestion would be to answer the phone.

Easier said than done, I don't have great reception either at home nor at work so I have to move outside to be able to pick up which is difficult when I have no idea when they'll call. Also it's not like they are calling every two days, they have called maybe 3-4 times within that month. I won't be rearranging my whole life just in case they maybe call this week.

wmb194

anigys said:

sutton111 said:

Still, my principal suggestion would be to answer the phone.

Easier said than done, I don't have great reception either at home nor at work so I have to move outside to be able to pick up which is difficult when I have no idea when they'll call. Also it's not like they are calling every two days, they have called maybe 3-4 times within that month. I won't be rearranging my whole life just in case they maybe call this week.

Change or add a landline contact number? Does your mobile/SIM/mobile plan have a wi-fi calling capability that can be activated?

anigys

I do have wifi calling but I think it only works with outgoing calls. I don't have landline (which year is this, anyway?). Thanks for the advice, but I'm more inclined to think along the ways "how can I get this account unblocked assuming that there is no way to force Santander to call me".

km1500

since it is with the FOS, what did the deadlock letter say ?

GSLondon

I had something similar with Santander where my account was frozen a few days after I had received a bank transfer for a car I had sold because the buyer was using someone else’s account without knowledge or permission. My first notification of it being frozen was when my card was declined at a petrol garage.

Like the OP, I found it impossible to get back in touch with Santander, because the team able to unblock the freeze don’t receive calls - they only make them. I wasn’t able to email them - I had to visit a branch with evidence for the branch to email them!  My account ended up frozen for five days while a named person at Santander considered the evidence I had supplied to show I was not involved.

But when I did eventually receive the call, they were actually very helpful.  They explained why they had frozen my account without warning, which was as much for my own protection as well as theirs, apologised for the inconvenience AND gave me £250 as a gesture of goodwill.

not much consolation for the OP, whose situation differs, but just to say that Santander did eventually do the right thing in my situation, and hopefully they will do so for the op.

anigys

deadlock letter says "we will aim to call within 48 hours" (they called 6 days later when I didn't expect it) and "this happens to every financial institution". It doesn't mention going to the branch, as I opened the complaint before I came to the branch the first time.

Thanks for your suggestions and stories everyone, lo and behold I decided to call today again to see if they agree to first go through the questionnaire and arrange a visit to the branch but the nice lady over there just unblocked my account like nothing happened! They didn't offer any compensation but the important part is that my money is already elsewhere (and I would be surprised if FOS didn't ask them for some compensation after seeing a spreadsheet accounting for 4 hours of talking to them on 22 occasions).

What has worked for me was a combination of:
- going through a scam questionnaire in the branch, while lying to them I lost my phone so they can't call me back
- calling them from this phone 4 days later (when I called 48 hours later, as they suggested, they told me "no update")

Anyways, my effort is done here, lesson for the future is to have at least a month of expenses in a secondary account that you can access (I have investment accounts, but I can only withdraw to the main account -___-).

sutton111

anigys said:

deadlock letter says "we will aim to call within 48 hours" (they called 6 days later when I didn't expect it) and "this happens to every financial institution". It doesn't mention going to the branch, as I opened the complaint before I came to the branch the first time.

Thanks for your suggestions and stories everyone, lo and behold I decided to call today again to see if they agree to first go through the questionnaire and arrange a visit to the branch but the nice lady over there just unblocked my account like nothing happened! They didn't offer any compensation but the important part is that my money is already elsewhere (and I would be surprised if FOS didn't ask them for some compensation after seeing a spreadsheet accounting for 4 hours of talking to them on 22 occasions).

What has worked for me was a combination of:
- going through a scam questionnaire in the branch, while lying to them I lost my phone so they can't call me back
- calling them from this phone 4 days later (when I called 48 hours later, as they suggested, they told me "no update")

Anyways, my effort is done here, lesson for the future is to have at least a month of expenses in a secondary account that you can access (I have investment accounts, but I can only withdraw to the main account -___-).

At least you have finally got it sorted. I’d still complain; you should at least receive an apology for the time wasted and the anguish caused.

wmb194

anigys said:

I do have wifi calling but I think it only works with outgoing calls. I don't have landline (which year is this, anyway?). Thanks for the advice, but I'm more inclined to think along the ways "how can I get this account unblocked assuming that there is no way to force Santander to call me".

Well, given the problems you clearly have with your mobile you should consider one at home and at work.