Starling bank - big brother?

[Sodoffbigbrother]

I’ve had a Starling bank account for a couple of years. It’s a secondary account I use alongside my main account and I’ve had no problems at all with it. It’s always in credit, I only have a debit card with them and I don’t have an overdraft facility.

When I log in it has started asking me to confirm my contact details (no problem, I’ve done this) BUT then also my income from all sources and my job, industry etc.

It says it’s ‘LEGALLY obliged to do this so it can spot when something isn’t quite right’ - is this true?

It promises not to ‘use it for marketing purposes’ but asks you to complete the information without saying what it WILL use it for.

Has anyone been asked the same by other banks?

AIBU to tell them to sod off?

YANBU- it’s none of their business

YABU- I should meekly comply

Personally if they force me I will close the account.

As people have said banks are obliged to carry out Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks.

Money laundering can be very devious, it's not just massive amounts of cash deposited in dodgy off shore accounts. A big issue is "money mules", often young people or people strapped for cash recruited on social media or by "friends" who open an account and accept small regular payments of money in return for a small fee. This is money laundering.

A lot of it as KYC is harder as banking had changed especially with the new challenger banks - accounts are easier to open and all done remotely. It's not like Starling can say "oh yes @Sodoffbigbrother she's being coming in to our Little Whinging on the Wold branch for 30 year ever since her dad opened her a savings account on her 5th birthday".