* MBANK CARDS BEING BLOCKED THREAD*

[Opardon]

Hi all,

Regarding info bout mBank cards being blocked in Mateo's thread I personally contacted mBank to investigate. I'm Mateo's smaller time competitor, but this is kind of a common issue so we should all be eager on clearing this up.

Here's what I got:

The cards are only getting blocked if the bank suspects the card to be copied or used by unauthorized individual. I was informed that recently the cards were abused by using with maintenance-free gas stations which due to some delay in card verification allowed it's users to tank for free (with no balance on the card).

I have also been informed that you can retrieve all the money from the card by cooperating with mBank. At the moment the card is blocked you will get this information send to your email address provided during the registration and also in internet banking panel, also if you provided a phone number bank should call you immidiately.
So guys, did you get any kind of this info or the cards just stopped working?

As far as bank employee I spoke with was aware this has nothing to do with PP scams and other abuse so hopefully everything will be back to normal.

I also haven't got any reports from my customers on the cards being blocked or funds being held up, one of potential customers advised me bout the discussion in Matheo's thread and that's why I went to check this issue with the bank.

If you would have any further info or would like to describe the problems you encounter please don't hesitate and post it here, maybe we'll find the solution together

Cheers

[bernard75]

"Cooperating" unfortunately means full KYC/AML disclosure.
Unfortunatly a few bad apples are ruining it for us all.

[sionsandman]

Here's what I got:

The cards are only getting blocked if the bank suspects the card to be copied or used by unauthorized individual. I was informed that recently the cards were abused by using with maintenance-free gas stations which due to some delay in card verification allowed it's users to tank for free (with no balance on the card).

That's not true and they know it.

The cards were blocked in bulk.

I have also been informed that you can retrieve all the money from the card by cooperating with mBank. At the moment the card is blocked you will get this information send to your email address provided during the registration and also in internet banking panel, also if you provided a phone number bank should call you immidiately.
So guys, did you get any kind of this info or the cards just stopped working?

What exactly is cooperating?

If it's like bernard says they can kiss my *ss!

My card is not blocked. The  status is active.

It just doesn't work.

I didn't receive any e-mail from them.

[sionsandman]

Unfortunatly a few bad apples are ruining it for us all.

It would be very easy for them to block only the bad apples.

They decided to f*ck the good apples instead and now they'll lose everyone. The bad and the good.

[bernard75]

In a perfect world no doubt.
Unfortunately most Banks still operate like...well like they always have.
Meaning they get a suspicious or downright criminal deposit from somewhere, they block all deposits from there.
Hence less work for them and more work for 99% of the customers.

[bernard75]

My card is not blocked. The  status is active.
It just doesn't work.
I didn't receive any e-mail from them.

And ideally you sholdnt have, afterall they are supposed to be anonymous.
Unfortunately MBank is on the war path, because of the few spoiled apples i mentioned.

[sionsandman]

Strange as it is, I dropped an email to some of my bulk customers and until now got 2 replies saying that they're using the cards without no problem.

Will keep you updated

To be honest that even pisses me more because I never did anything wrong with the card and got blocked 

Even if I use another card without problems I'll never trust mbank the way I did.

They knew from the beggining that these cards may attract scammers so they should've measures in place.


I tried to contact mbank by phone but after asking for english support they left me waiting for 10 minutes and I hung up.

I just sent a very acid email asking what's going on and already gave them an IBAN to transfer the remaining funds in case they don't want to fix the card.

I also threatened to report this situation to ECB if they don't fix it. I know they don't give a f*ck about that but I was feeling like it.

If enough customers flood their email maybe they do something.

I'll wait to see what happens.

If they ask for personal info I'll give them everything because the funds I have there are more important than hiding my name but f*ck me deep if I ever use these co*ksuckers again!

 

[slinger69]

Anybody had any luck contacting Mbank concerning these blocks?
I wasted 30 GBP in phonecalls trying to get through to the relevant department just to keep on getting passed around and for them to constantly tell me to come into the bank in Poland (which obviously I cant).

Anyone have any ideas??

I didnt buy my cards from this forum. I brought mine from instantvcc.eu, who had all of their cards mass blocked. I spoke to instantvcc and they had every one of their cards blocked at the same time.

[hgerson]

I sent an email to mBank.

Here's their reply:

Dear Sir,

thank you for your mail.

In reference to your message I inform that mBank put an authorization blockade on your card.

Due to Terms of prepaid card issued by mBank S.A. paragraph 39 bank can put an authorization blockade or cancel card for security reasons.

To unlock your card please visit mBank branch with your identification document. You can find mBank branches with this link:
http://www.mbank.pl/o-nas/kontakt/lokalizacja/

I hope that those informations will be helpful and I am sorry for inconvenience.

W przypadku dodatkowych pytań zapraszam do kontaktu zwrotnego lub w innej wybranej formie: <http://www.mbank.pl/o-nas/kontakt/>

Z poważaniem
Adam Gruszczyński
Wydział Obsługi Klientów
Biuro Obsługi Klientów

[hgerson]

And my reply:

Hello,

Will you tell me specifically why you blocked the card?

What was the security reason you mention?

Why is the card status still set as "Active"?

I can't and I don't want to visit an mBank branch because I'm not even in Poland.

You can block or cancel the card if you want but you certainly can't keep money that's not yours.

That would be stealing!

So if you don't want me as client it's fine but you can't keep my money.

Please send the remaining funds to the account I gave you before:

IBAN: PLXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

BIC: WBKPPLPP

Bank: Bank Zachodni WBK SA

or reverse the transfers to the original senders.

What's the email of the Customer Ombudsman?

I'll also forward this email to Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego, to Urzad Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentow and others relevant to this case.

I expect you to give me back my stolen funds as soon as possible.

Best regards

I spammed this to a shitload of email addresses. Basically all I could find related to mBank and financial regulators in Poland.

I made up some email addresses based on these people names:

http://www.mbank.pl/en/about-us/bank-authorities/about.html

The full list is this:

 

pomoc@mbank.pl,
 kontakt@mbank.pl,
 knf@knf.gov.pl,
 uokik@uokik.gov.pl,
 corporate@mbank.pl,
 private@mbank.pl,
 cstypułkowski@mbank.pl,
 pgdanski@mbank.pl,
 jhessenmuller@mbank.pl,
 lJabłonowska-Luba@mbank.pl,
 hDieterKemler@mbank.pl,
 hkemler@mbank.pl,
 cKocik@mbank.pl,
 jMastalerz@mbank.pl,
 mLesny@mbank.pl,
 mZielke@mbank.pl,
 mblessing@mbank.pl,
 sengels@mbank.pl,
 akarls@mbank.pl,
 TKanzler@mbank.pl,
 porady@dlakonsumentow.pl,
 leniency@uokik.gov.pl

Some of them hit the fence but so far most of them went through.

 

[slinger69]

I've had an almost identical email back, however mine also asks me to email a copy of my ID (which I had suggested in the email to them):

Dear Sir,

thank you for your mail.

In reference to your message I inform that mBank put an authorization blockade on your cards.

Due to Terms of prepaid card issued by mBank S.A. paragraph 39 bank can put an authorization blockade or cancel card for security reasons.

To unlock your card please visit mBank branch with your identification document. You can find mBank branches with this link:
http://www.mbank.pl/o-nas/kontakt/lokalizacja/

Also if you can please send scan of your identification document. It may help in finding alternative solution in your situation.

I hope that those informations will be helpful and I am sorry for inconvenience.

W przypadku dodatkowych pytań zapraszam do kontaktu zwrotnego lub w innej wybranej formie: <http://www.mbank.pl/o-nas/kontakt/>

Z poważaniem
Adam Gruszczyński
Wydział Obsługi Klientów
Biuro Obsługi Klientów

Will keep you all updated.

[hgerson]

They can block the cards but they can't keep the funds!

They have to provide a solution to withdraw the remaining funds.

[bernard75]

They will certainly take their time until they cough up your cash, as you are not even a real customer of them.
The sellers could speed up the process, but it seems they already left the sinking ship.

[AlexMass]

Yesterday I activated a new card, I bought it in Poland.
It was new: EXP: 06/17
I sent money from my own account: 300 EUR and it is already blocked.
it would be my 3rd card, what is blocked, also I have OLD cards, they still work.
I did not top up them for 6-7 months, they have 1-5 euro, so I think if I top up them - then BLOCK.

All cards have status: ACTIVE. So you have to go to bank and give them your ID.
I am trying too to verify myself by email, I made a copy of a card and ID.
I hope they will write me a positive answer

[sionsandman]

At least they should send the money back to the originating account or block the transfers.

F*cking thieves!

I know banks can do whatever they want whenever they want but this can't be true.

If I lived in Poland and had a blocked card there would be at least one branch with their ears on fire!

[atom80]

Can anyone tell me how long they are taking to reply to emails?
I sent 3 emails Thursday and Friday and no reply so far.

Also, as anyone already been able to unlock a card either remotely or by walking into a branch in Poland?

[kqpahv]

This attitude from Mbank is fcking ridiculous. Scaming is their own problem so either they or the gas stations with shitty systems should bear the consequences not honest customers. Locking all my cards out of the blue for no reason in not normal business practice.
Sent them a email and will see how it goes... Worst case scenario I will have to take a 600km trip to the boarder of Poland and visit one of that crappy banks offices. Does anyone know how many offices they have got in Poland ? By the webpage it looks like low cost unknown bank...

[bernard75]

Thats because they are part of BRE Bank(owned by German Commerzbank) aiming mostly at online "services".

[dzanuv]

Seriously!?
That's their excuse?
Some people are getting gas for free (how the fuck is that even possible in 2014!!!) so we're gonna block a shitload of cards and keep the money earning interest until we feel like it!

Makes perfect sense to learn that they're owned by some nazi bastards.

There are no polish members using these cards than can go to a branch and tell them what they need to hear?

[sionsandman]

Well I have couple of these cards used by myself, also some friends use them and until now they seem to be working fine. Maybe they're just blocking cards used abroad? Last week I sent out about 40 cards to different people, will wait for feedback and let u know

That's a sneaky smart move not blocking cards used in poland.

It just shows they are deliberately screwing everyone else.

Very good mBank!!