Bank restricts access to bank account

[merights]

So long story short

Disabled Single mum with hypertension, panic attacks and palpitations of 2 young kids

Lost job months ago

Things are very hard
My parents& family decided to send me money to help pay bills and groceries and medications etc

£1500 was sent but the money was seized by the bank since Saturday
They asked a few questions like who the sender is to me and where the sender got the money from & what I am going to use the money for and that once answered, they will reply with an hour

They said I should answer all the question I can etc

I did answer the questions I could and I still do not have access to my money

My elderly parents sent lots of documents of their means of income from their properties which they rent out etc which I sent to the bank today

The bank also asked for chats with date etc with sender of the money. I got screenshots which I sent to bank today over 2 hours ago.

I am starving and kids too
My BP gone through the roof
Still no access to my money.

What right had the bank to do this to me? Holding my money and restricting access to my account for over 48 hours.

What else can I do? I am in tears here
My parents work hard for their money & I have always worked hard for mine until unemployed few months ago

As frustrating as it is they have fiduciary duties to ensure anti money laundering checks are made. It will likely be flagged as an unusual sum to have been recorded into your bank.

Keep pressing the bank that you are vulnerable and require access ASAP. Do you have another bank to use in the meantime that your parents could possibly send a smaller sum to tide you over until all the AML checks are done?

That is very odd. Have the both of you had your accounts for a reasonable length of time?
When I do random/first time transfers, I have to use extra security (Nationwide - mini card machine) it's a pain but they are putting our best interests first.

Yes I do have another account but it is not easy for them to send funds from abroad + they are elderly.

I know the bank are required to do checks to prevent money laundering but this is not acceptable because it over 48 hours now and I have not used the account since opened so the bank hasn't any idea what amount is normal for me.

I work in a bank, as previous sender suggested a bank has to comply with Anti Money laundering laws which we are under oath to do from the FCA and fraud prevention agencies. Do you know if it’s a fraud block on your account? If it’s a fraud block does your bank have a direct telephone number for the fraud team who have authority to remove these blocks as customer services branch (if there is one) or telephone don’t have that type of authority.

One guess …. This is santander bank?
out of order IMO, they should not be causing this affect to your life.

What country has the money came from?

OP
Call them again and tell them re your hardship etc and been over 48 hours

Good luck

Why haven’t you used the account since it was opened? That alone would be a flag.

I have no information at all

All contact with bank is through chats and I was told over and over again that all the answers and documents sent have passed to the specialist team since Saturday and more answers passed on to the so called special team today again

It is Monzo bank

A banks due diligent to prevent money laundering should not be at the expense of people like me
I have told them my situation over and over again but no luck and they keep saying they can't give me a time frame of when I will have access to my account and money.

Which country is the money coming from? I work in this field and that will change my response

Why have you never used the account until now? That does set alarm bells.

Do you have another bank account? If not, could your parents send you a postal order instead? And then you pay them back when the original money reaches you.

If it's Monzo try Twitter/X and complain that way too. Try involving some of the help pages of newspapers Anna Tim's in the Guardian for example.
However I think if you open a bank account, don't use it at all and then do a mystery overseas transfer in .. it's going to raise some concerns unfortunately

I have used the account for very little transactions not more than £100 to £200 and the acc is on my Apple subscribtions of about £5 each

But no pay to Apple lately all declined because I am not working

I am going on twitter now

What country has the money come from, it makes a difference as to what checks are required.

What country? It makes a difference

You have to admit a bank account that is barely used suddenly reviving a large amount of funds from overseas could be dodgy and they have a duty to investigate. Keep flagging that you are vulnerable and need access and keep engaging with them.

The money is from a UK account. My parents used a registered beauru de change whose got a UK acc. So the money didn't come directly from a foreign country.

Monzo is asking for my parents source of income and I have sent it all to them. They have lots of properties they rent out
When did £1500 become a big amount of money that they are making me and my children suffer like this?

Annoying thing is that I don't know how to use thread, Instagram etc 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

I have tried posting thing on there but I don't think I got it right.

Monzo is a BAD bank

The fact that it is from a bureau de change will be suspicious too. Ultimately the source of funds is from overseas - regardless of it going through a bureau de change

Everything you have said raises flags, opened an account, barely used, unemployed, money from overseas but not from an actual persons account. Does get much more red flag for money laundering.

£1500 may not be a huge amount but fraudsters test the water with smaller amounts.

Again, what country are your parents in. Sending money via a UK agent, to an account with very little transaction history is dodgy as hell. Why didn't you use your normal bank account?

So which country has the money came from? Is there a reason you are not telling us?

Yeah it's like money laundering 101!

Thanks all for your replies

Why won’t you say what country your parents live in ?