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NatWest account disabled

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Hello,

I just tried to login to my NatWest app and it came up with a message saying ‘your online banking and mobile app have been disabled.’

I clicked the link to the help page, which directed me to ‘chat to cora’, which in turn directed me to message NatWest via WhatsApp.

When I did this, the person told me that the Fraud Team I have checked for you and can see our Fraud Team  detected some unusual activity on my account and so ‘put a temporary stop on your account until they can discuss this with you.’

Then I was given an email address to contact them on:
FPSCustomerContact@natwest.com

I was told that the team is only available on email, and that if I call natwest they will also just tell me to email them.

I was told  to provide my customer number, account details and full name on the email, and ask them to enable my account. I can then expect to hear back from them within 48 hours.
I called NatWest anyway and they did indeed direct me to email them.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is there nothing else I can do, or do I just have to wait for an email response?

It seems quite insane to me that this can’t be sorted over the phone, and that I can’t use my online banking for potentially up to 2 days.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you

Comments

  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 10,658 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Radhak108 said:
    Hello,

    I just tried to login to my NatWest app and it came up with a message saying ‘your online banking and mobile app have been disabled.’

    I clicked the link to the help page, which directed me to ‘chat to cora’, which in turn directed me to message NatWest via WhatsApp.

    When I did this, the person told me that the Fraud Team I have checked for you and can see our Fraud Team  detected some unusual activity on my account and so ‘put a temporary stop on your account until they can discuss this with you.’

    Then I was given an email address to contact them on:
    FPSCustomerContact@natwest.com

    I was told that the team is only available on email, and that if I call natwest they will also just tell me to email them.

    I was told  to provide my customer number, account details and full name on the email, and ask them to enable my account. I can then expect to hear back from them within 48 hours.
    I called NatWest anyway and they did indeed direct me to email them.

    Has this happened to anyone else? Is there nothing else I can do, or do I just have to wait for an email response?

    It seems quite insane to me that this can’t be sorted over the phone, and that I can’t use my online banking for potentially up to 2 days.

    Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you
    Fraud investigations are complex and the staff cannot give you any information under tipping off laws, it'll take as long as it takes, possibly more than 2 days. Ensure you use your back-up account for the moment for pay and bills and watch for direct debits. Make sure you know the source of any recent unusual funds and can provide evidence to show it's legitimate

    Sam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness: 

    People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.

  • grumpy_codger
    grumpy_codger Posts: 994 Forumite
    500 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 22 July at 1:14PM
    Radhak108 said:
    .... Is there nothing else I can do, or do I just have to wait for an email response?
    In the meantime apply for a current account with another bank if you don't have it.
    It seems quite insane to me that this can’t be sorted over the phone, and that I can’t use my online banking for potentially up to 2 days.
    Just two days? Phew ... Many people have accounts blocked for weeks and months. There are so many really insane things happening in banking because of fraud and security that nowadays every person must have at least one spare account with money.
    Sorted over a phone? After speaking to a fraud team over a phone, my wife had to waste her Saturday on going to a branch with proofs of ID. It was Lloyds. She complained and received £125(?) compensation.
  • Emmia
    Emmia Posts: 5,630 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Hopefully you have a back up bank account with a different provider, that has money in it... 
  • GTR_King
    GTR_King Posts: 1,980 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    NatWest have found some transactions they don’t like etc!

    Personal account for business.. money from someone you don’t really know?

    many reasons why but they can’t tell you the reason 
  • COIAHLGW
    COIAHLGW Posts: 139 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    They really want you to send them an email with all of that personal information?  Call me cynical, but what is NatWest thinking sending sensitive information via email?
  • sausage_time
    sausage_time Posts: 1,467 Ambassador
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    COIAHLGW said:
    They really want you to send them an email with all of that personal information?  Call me cynical, but what is NatWest thinking sending sensitive information via email?
    I thought that too.  No real issue with account number, but to include that along with the customer number too seems a bit irresponsible.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Credit CardsSavings & investments, and Budgeting & Bank Accounts boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
    All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • clairec666
    clairec666 Posts: 273 Forumite
    100 Posts Name Dropper
    COIAHLGW said:
    They really want you to send them an email with all of that personal information?  Call me cynical, but what is NatWest thinking sending sensitive information via email?
    Also, to be as inclusive as possible, surely they need to provide different means of communication, for customers who have different communication needs
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