I joined Nationwide this year with their FlexPlus account and I had to visit the branch to verify my ID. The lady took one look at my ID, entered the details on the computer and that was done. A waste of time, really.
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I opened a Lloyd’s and Barclay’s account online. No visits to branch.
This idea that it’s “easier” to get a Monzo account is false.
It’s ‘easier’ for you because you don’t need to go to a bank or book any appointments. But behind the scenes the same processes are happening and it’s not easier to get accepted (with the exception of a lack of credit check which really only concerns lending facilities).
If you’re being asked to go into branch it means they couldn’t verify you online via either credit file or electoral register or checking your passport details etc online. That’s all.
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Thanks both - for the sake of my interest rather than any point being made
I have applied for Starling, Monzo, N26 and Dozens in the last year, but aside from the Halifax credit application in 2017 I have not had experience with a “legacy” bank in my adult life - I have been with HSBC since I was a Midland Griffin Saver
Hello @HarryBarry 
I’m really sorry about your experience with this and I’d like to look into making the process better with false positives, I can’t drive the change but I can nudge the right people 
Can you DM me your email so I can use your account as an example please?
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@anon77734705 Only joined 4 days ago - might not have access to DMs?
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I DMed as well just in case, so good shout!
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I assumed I wasn’t anonymous here and you already would have looked up my account, but to be honest I don’t feel like having my bank statements passed around Monzo managers so I won’t be providing any personal info and don’t give permission for my account to be looked at. Already felt a bit strange that your social media guy was able to look up my account - is that really possible? send a private message on social media and without passing any security checks they can look up and discuss my account? What if I wasn’t actually the account holder?
But anyway, if you want to make the process better that’s great and I’m sure your customers will appreciate it, but you don’t really need any account as an example - Monzo already know what the process is so it shouldn’t be a surprise when it gets followed. If you don’t believe what I am saying is possible for the reasons I have given (i.e account freeze for payments to my other bank), then feel free to state that - you don’t have to even be specific as to why you disagree. Your silence approach has led to me guessing but while the account was frozen and I was asked to “explain activity on my account over the past few days” - I only explained two transactions, both genuine transfers to myself, I was about to go on and on as I didn’t know what you wanted me to explain, but the guy in the chat gave a reply which suggested “you’ve hit the nail on the head we’ve got what we need”. The account was returned after explaining those transactions which is why I’ve concluded Monzo are acting significantly different to the big banks (which is really catching people out hence the social media sob stories).
If you feel like anything I’ve said just wouldn’t have been possible, DM me and I’ll be happy to take it as fact and delete my posts.
Exactly. And it is so obvious as well - making a decent app is one thing but it’s ridiculously difficult to start a new bank. If these digital banks fail it will be because they didn’t gain the trust. If they try and run before they can walk they could lose trust, right now I see them pushing the switching services and trying to get people to make them their main account, lets hope they are set up for it as it is going to put serious pressure on them to get every single thing right straightaway. Being new, people are going to get out with the first sign of trouble. My experience might have been really uncommon and/or unlucky, but within 20 minutes of getting my account back I had cleared every single penny out and submitted a request at work for my wages to go into my old bank. It’s going to be years before I make any digital bank my main account, all of the nice features on the app count for nothing when you are having to convince your bank to let you have your own money back, all because they don’t have the experience.
Sounds like that’s for the best for you. Good luck!
On a side note, when I first opened my Lloyd’s account I put something like £600 into it initially through a sale on Mazuma Mobile. Immediately frozen and took a good three days to get it cleared once I could adequately explain what the funds were for (apparently “to just spend living” weren’t quite enough!).
Also: banks will all use cases as examples internally for training and development. We do it where I work too. You don’t need permission or to be told. The difference here is that Monzo asked and told you what they wanted it for.
Also also: fairly sure a bank doesn’t need your permission to look up an account, but just a reason to be looking up an account. If I walk into a bank and say I’m John Smith, they’ll go ahead and open John Smith’s account but will ask me questions to verify who I am before giving information to me. Social media is no different if your name is on it (and had happened to me before) so long as you pass checks (and recent transactions is a valid security check).
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Monzo taking more of a flogging by the tabloids for having a half-baked marketplace:
Although if you read the article it is comparing Monzo’s quality partners with Outfoxthemarket which gets crucified every other week on BBC’s moneybox for its dodgy practices and non-existent customer service. Certainly not an organisation I’d want recommended on price alone.
It’s easy to dismiss sensational headlines but they are going to keep coming unless Monzo deepens their marketplace and gets really strong negotiators to offer users a better deal than they can get by just clicking onto the partner’s website 
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Now that they’re nearly at two million customers I am sure the headlines, positive and negative, sensationalist or not, will come regardless of their efforts!
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Do they mention they have a financial interest in a competing service by any chance?
Also for savings accounts
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I was going to look this up. Thanks for saving me the bother 
There’s always been something untrustworthy about Outfox for me.
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This one is really bad press for Monzo. They can explain it away and say it’s regulations but for normal people who come across this would have a hard time trusting Monzo.
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I don’t get how people keep getting their accounts frozen/closed if they are just using them normally?
I have literally spent £thousands in one go, gotten my pin wrong twice (on numerous occasions) and then paid using contactless, bought online, bought in shop, made one off payments to new vendors whilst in strange cities I have never visited before and I have never ever had a single declined payment or my account frozen
What are people doing to initiate this action from Monzo’s automated systems?
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This article is as confusing as the complaints. If her account was frozen it surly wouldn’t let her even see her money? By Monzo support said her account was fine, just a declined transaction, then another. Then it looks like the account was closed without warning, as at that point shes saying her calls were refused, which we know is common, no one at monzo seem to answer the phone.
The bounced payments and refunds seem to be the indication of a closed account correct my if im wrong.
It’s not very clear. It does seem like lots of these frozen accounts are actually fraud attempts etc. but there’s a bunch that are just bizarre. It’s hard to tell because you never know if the full story is there, you have what the person says, and the bank will never say anything.
Interestingly if she does go to the financial ombudsman from what ive seen from the FCO information Monzo take there sweet time responding to these compared to other banks.
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Of course, we’ll never know the exact details behind this case but I agree it is something that does make me wonder too.
Some of the things I’ve done make me wonder whether that would be picked up by systems… like, instead of being able to take out a large amount of cash from a branch, and my local cash machine restricting withdrawals to £200 - I’ve had about 4 days in a row taking out £200 twice a day. If I looked at that activity I’d think that’s strange.
I used to work in a bank branch and the only real red flags we ever saw were somebody paying in money to another’s account with an odd pence figure like £100.02 or £50.06 which was a classic indicator of paying a drug dealer and the pence value identifying the individual paying. I cannot imagine how complex it is to identify more complex schemes though.
The thing that struck me about this article though is the fact that they even talked to the press. Either there’s something dodgy and they’ve really got some gall, or they’re a victim somewhere along the complex line and now don’t have an account.
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The article states she was away, and ordering food to a new never used before (suspicious) address.
This is a big fraud flag, as stolen cards are often used quickly in this way as food deliveries are quick so no chance of it getting cancelled. (Usually by small time pickpockets as opposed to cyber criminals selling details online)
That was probably the trigger to all this in my opinion.
I’d guess the reason the account was shut (rightly or wrongly) was because of the repeated phone calls.
The money from the account was returned so couldn’t have been frozen for illegal activity, otherwise the money wouldn’t have been refunded, and the account wouldn’t have been shut if they suspected illegal activity and they investigated and found out there was none.
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Hello all.
Obviously no one knows the full story, I have always supported Monzo but these stories scare me.
I will continue to use Monzo but I will no longer use it as my main account.
They are vulnerable people out their if this happens I feel more support is needed, and when this happens It seems people don’t don’t get the appropriate support
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