A woman in the UK found herself in a bizarre and distressing situation after her bank mistakenly declared her dead, leading to a series of events that left her without access to her money, passport, and even her driving license. Masithokoze Moyo, a 45-year-old woman, discovered that the Co-operative Bank had marked her as deceased when she tried to close her account with them. The error came to light when her credit cards were declined while she was shopping at Sainsbury’s, leaving her completely penniless.
Masithokoze had called the Co-op bank on February 5 to switch her current account to Santander after being a customer with them for 21 years. However, during the call, an operator mistakenly marked her as deceased instead of processing the account closure. This error triggered the bank to inform all of her creditors, including her credit card companies, banks, and utility providers, that she had passed away. As a result, Masithokoze’s credit score plummeted to zero, and she was left without access to her funds for weeks.
The consequences of the bank’s error were severe for Masithokoze. She had to borrow money from friends and neighbours to cover her expenses, even resorting to borrowing £3 at one point. Additionally, her passport and driving licence were cancelled, causing her to miss out on a planned holiday to South Africa. The distressing situation not only affected her financially but also had a significant impact on her mental well-being, leading to short-term memory loss and emotional turmoil.
The ordeal lasted for 16 days before Masithokoze was finally able to regain access to her accounts on February 21. During this time, she had to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles of contacting various card providers to rectify the misinformation about her supposed demise. The Co-op bank’s mistake had far-reaching consequences, affecting not only her financial stability but also her ability to carry out everyday tasks such as driving and travelling.
In response to the incident, Masithokoze is demanding £5 million in compensation from the Co-operative Bank for the distress and inconvenience caused by their error. She believes that the bank’s negligence borders on defamation of character and has vowed to take legal action if necessary. The bank, on their part, has issued a formal apology to Masithokoze and stated that they are working to compensate her for the repercussions of their mistake. They have also committed to reviewing their processes to prevent similar errors in the future.
The story of Masithokoze Moyo serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of administrative errors by financial institutions. It highlights the importance of thorough verification processes and the need for swift resolution of such issues to prevent undue hardship for customers. The impact of the bank’s mistake on Masithokoze’s life underscores the need for accountability and transparency in handling sensitive personal information.