Nowadays, banks often ask for information about the nature of the customer’s financial activity in their KYC process: how many deposits or withdrawals are made per month, whether there are cash withdrawals and deposits, international transfers, etc. It is not particularly easy to answer such a survey if you don’t perfectly fit the profile of an average monthly salaried employee—how on earth can you know how much money will be transferred in the future? I personally have never had the problems mentioned in this thread, but I wonder if the information provided in your KYC surveys might be strongly at odds with what your financial activity is actually like?
Another amusing question in those KYCs is “is this your primary bank?”. I have, of course, answered “no” to all of them, because the whole idea of having one primary bank is completely nonsensical, especially in today’s world where any bank might suddenly and arbitrarily block a customer’s accounts.
In my circle of acquaintances, OP’s blocking saved someone from a major loss. It was due to bank credential phishing, which was a new, previously unseen, innovative method—the kind where the user has no way of knowing it’s a scam, but the bank’s system flagged it. The amount was quite small, which the hacker used to test the functionality of their system in the initial phase, and if successful, they would have moved on to larger sums. Regarding this specific case, there has recently been a warning on OP’s homepage; several people have been targeted, and I don’t know if the hacker succeeded with anyone.
Nice to hear that someone has also benefited from the banks’ new nitpicking campaign.
About ten years ago, the banks’ biggest concern was cash deposits of a few hundred euros into an account. Juurikki had to explain several times, and even write on an A4 form designed for the purpose, that since it’s just so embarrassing to pay with fivers, it’s better to put a pile of small notes into the account and take them back in larger ones. By the way, I think it was some EU anti-money laundering and terrorism form.
A few months ago, some early middle-aged lady, who sounded fed up with life, called and said she was from OP. She asked why there had been transfers of tens of thousands into the account. Juurikki, of course, immediately suspected that the call might have come from somewhere other than the bank.
What bank still calls its customers these days, knowing that the customer has no way of verifying whether they are talking to a bank lady or a scammer?
Juurikki suggested she check where the money had come from. The bank lady didn’t know, so she obviously wasn’t a bank lady. Just for fun, Juurikki pranked the exposed scammer and made up a completely wild story on the fly about the origin of the money. “Oh, so it seems,” the bank lady stated. So she fell for it completely, and that fake bank lady hasn’t called since.
Of course, it might have been a real bank lady who got a recordable task out of the call. At the same time, the bank got a performance entry, since Fiva (FIN-FSA) loves them so much—performance entries, that is.
I don’t know how those bank credentials could be phished if you handle your daily banking with an app and other money transfers etc. with a brand new iPad dedicated solely to banking that isn’t used for browsing the web or anything else. Personally, I am meticulous about bank security to the point of being a bit of a “tinfoil hat”; I move assets worth tens of thousands, which is why I’ve invested in security. Against this background, it was almost amusing when the bank’s customer service representative seriously grilled me on whether I’m a victim of a scam, if I’m in my right mind, or if someone has obtained my credentials. I believe that investors are generally much more careful about these things than the average person; we don’t fall for the easy ones.
Transfers from OP to Ferratum/Sweepbank have started working again. Apparently, there is a daily limit of approximately 10,000 euros. Fortunately, the account has now returned to working order on its own without having to contact customer service.
Does opening this Nordea account etc. cost a single penny, considering I am not currently a Nordea customer? Or will there be recurring monthly fees or similar? It seems it can be done online using mobile ID (mobiilivarmenne), for example, but I’m wondering if it’s worth it or if I should keep the money in BN, even though the interest rate is nearly a percent lower.
Alisa Bank Plc has decided to discontinue offering current accounts to private customers. The accounts will be closed on June 30, 2026. Going forward, Alisa Bank will only offer savings accounts and fixed-term deposits. The current account was convenient as it allowed for paying bills while still accruing a bit of interest. Now, only the savings account and fixed-term deposits remain. However, the deposit interest rates are not very competitive compared to other banks. It seems that private customer relationships are no longer a primary priority, as the focus has shifted toward business customers—though, of course, deposit capital is still welcome.