A Bank in the UK Mistakenly Declares Its Client Dead (2 photos + 1 video)
Because of this, the woman could not access her own money. Her passport and driver's license were also cancelled.
Masitokodze Moyo, 45, suddenly discovered that she could not access her credit cards when she went shopping at a supermarket. "I have a total of four credit cards and they all didn't work," she said. To resolve the situation, the woman called the bank branch and told them about the problem. The operator told her that she was listed as deceased in their database.
Moyo's problems did not end there. Because the bank reported this false information to other authorities, including the housing office, the woman’s insurance company, passport and driving licence were also cancelled. “I even have the death certificate number,” Moyo said.
The woman was eventually able to regain access to her accounts, but the situation meant she had to miss a planned trip to South Africa.
Moyo has threatened to sue the bank since the incident, claiming it “has not offered any compensation”. She is seeking £5m in damages for the stress she has been put through.
For its part, a bank spokesman said they "deeply regret the distress caused to Ms. Moyo." "We are working closely with her to compensate her for the consequences of our error, and we are working hard to review the process that led to the error and prevent it from happening again," a Co-Bank spokesman said.