Can you imagine how offended you'd be if these were serious payments and the bank suggested you were joking? I have a mental image of a jihadist having an meltdown because their bank didn't take them seriously.
I used to write a check to my room mate and then she would write the rent check to the landlord. My checks to her always said "For: Sexual favors and drugs ;)" No one contacted us.
I've been doing this for decades. I find raunchy copypasta and put it in the notes section of etransfers. Nobody is investigating something because of what's in the notes field.
The most unrealistic thing about this post is the bank not immediately blocking this user and dropping them from all banking services. Taking the time to investigate and not dropping the customer.... Incredible
I think the bank is smart enough to understand they were probably drunk and joking, if they were actually performing terrorist acts with the funds then they wouldn't label them so plainly. Closing someone's bank can cause a lot of issues in their life so it is more fair to warn them first.
My bank once disabled my access to my funds out of the blue and told me to come in person because they have to check stuff like terrorist funding for each client from time to time, same thing happened to a colleague. So banks blocking you suddenly and without warning is very much a thing
For real, "Hey, we're investigating you, good opportunity to hide your stuff now." And if a bank were literally concerned about terrorism (like HSBC?), I imagine they'd forward directly on to their legal department or law enforcement. Maybe. I dunno, I'm just some guy.
99% of my Venmos are for hookers and cocaine though.
Dropping business? PFFFFFT, see, that's why you're not a banker, you put silly things like possible threats and societal security above profits! Criminals and terrorists need banking services, banks can rat them out and come out as good guys, it's win-win!
No, we still do that if you're white and in a good zip code. I've done it myself, although I'd you're very nice and there's no written record that I know, I may give someone a heads up.
I've heard people doing this and then getting black listed from the entire banking system. Can't open bank accounts, access any credit, and the banks don't have to tell you why you're blacklisted. It's supposed to be very very difficult to undo.
Can’t speak to this exactly, but it also happens to fraudsters and the like, after a few bad checks/transfers at different places and you are basically blacklisted from banking, literally no one will open you an account as they all seem to use same backend for fraud review known as ChexSystems Wiki here, iirc since it handles Credit but is not one of the “Big 3” they have to supply your report at request but only by mail request.
the so called freedom fighters on the right when i make a $500 wire transfer with the description "supplies for firebombing majorie taylor greene's home on october 29th, 2027"
Almost seems like a bad idea to allow private companies to decide arbitrary criteria which they could block you from using the financial system (which is required to survive in a capitalist economy).
In the US, there's federal laws that ban using the banking system to fund terrorism. The bank would be legally compelled to investigate. This looks like it's likely in the UK, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have similar laws.