Banking services | Bank credentials were locked in South America, can only be unlocked in Finland – a mess with the bank ruined the backpacking trip

Five a week behind, five weeks ahead.

Backpacking in South America Jani Rutanen answer a Whatsapp call in the city of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. The degree file is still open on the laptop, because Rutanen just went through the final work with a work partner remotely.

Only one thing overshadows the travel plans: Rutanen has reached a deadlock with his bank.

The travel budget’s funds are in S-bank’s savings account, from which Rutanen currently does not receive his money. Rutanen’s online bank is locked, and according to S-bank, the credentials can only be opened if Rutanen can visit the bank’s branch himself.

However, Rutanen’s purpose is to travel to the world’s largest salt desert, i.e. Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, and not back to Helsinki.

So to understand Rutanen’s situation, you have to start from the beginning.

After Rutanen had been traveling for four weeks, his S-bank payment card was closed. According to Rutanen, the card was blocked unexpectedly and without notification from the bank.

He contacted S-bank’s customer service, from which it took more than a week to get a response, according to Rutanen. In the end, the bank replied that Rutanen should contact the bank by phone.

A phone call to the bank’s customer service would have been expensive from South America, so Rutanen asked his spouse in Finland to call the bank and ask how the situation could be resolved in another way.

S-bank told the spouse that Rutanen could handle the matter via chat.

“During the first contact, I managed to get information that S-bank closed the card because there was a single strange payment of zero euros. Then that chat conversation disappeared,” says Rutanen.

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“Closings are done to secure the customer’s situation, not as a nuisance.”

Later Rutanen’s card was opened via chat. While the conversation was still going on, Rutanen noticed that he could no longer access his online bank.

“The customer service representative had the idea that my spouse has access to my online banking credentials. That’s not the case,” says Rutanen.

HS has seen the conversation between Rutanen and S-bank in the customer service chat and by e-mail. In the chat, the customer service representative says that the bank IDs have had to be closed due to S-bank’s conditions and legislation, as they may not be handed over to another person. Rutanen says that he has not given his credentials to anyone.

According to Rutanen, he had accepted the spouse’s phone call to S-bank in S-mobile so that the latter could handle the matter on Rutanen’s behalf. Rutanen says that he has never given his spouse access to his online bank or credentials.

At the moment, Rutase does not have the opportunity to talk to S-bank through any official route, because the online banking credentials are locked. The situation has come to a standstill because S-bank requires Ruta to visit S-bank’s branch in Finland on site so that new bank IDs can be created for him.

Insurance- and financial advice (Fine) deals with disputes between banks and customers. Fine’s division manager Tuomas Hiden cannot comment on an individual case, but says that based on the law and security reasons, the bank must always identify its customers. Therefore, Rutanen’s chances of getting his case promoted remotely are quite weak.

“It may be that there is nothing that can be done in such a case. The Identification Act will have its own requirements,” says Hidén.

S-bank invokes bank secrecy and says that it cannot comment on an individual case. According to S-bank, the bank has the right to block online banking credentials or limit their use if “the security of use of the credentials has been compromised or there is reason to suspect that online banking credentials or online services are being used illegally or fraudulently”.

In general, S-bank says that if “online banking credentials are completely locked, the lock must be removed for security reasons at the customer service point”.

Rutanen is in this situation now.

“Additional trouble may be caused to the customer, but this is the only way to ensure that there is no misuse in the background, the credentials are for the customer’s own use and the customer’s funds remain safe until the situation is resolved,” says S-bank.

“Closings are done specifically to secure the customer’s situation, not as a nuisance.”

HS asked from large Finnish banks, whether the same is possible for them. It turned out that if the passwords are locked, it can be very difficult or even impossible to unlock them during the trip.

The OP group says that renewing IDs is usually something that can only be handled on site at the branch. However, OP has the option of delivering IDs to foreign countries as well. In this case, the services of Finnish embassies can be used, for example.

“Completely new IDs can also be delivered abroad. Then, after agreeing on the procedure with the bank, the customer deals with the Finnish embassy or other Finnish representative office, where notary services are offered,” says OP’s director of digital channels Tuomas Lappi.

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The fight with the bank has dampened the mood of the trip.

According to the OP, domains can be closed or locked for many reasons. According to Lapland, the customer can close their credentials if they are lost or stolen. If the bank locks the IDs, it is usually because the customer has entered his ID incorrectly too many times or the bank finds that the security of the IDs may be compromised.

Danske Bank is told that, in principle, the bank never closes bank accounts without consulting the customer. According to Danske, the exception to this are customers who have fallen victim to fraud, in which case the bank can close the customer’s credentials to prevent financial damage.

According to Danske Bank, unlocking locked online banking credentials requires reliable identification, which takes place from a valid passport or identity card at the branch.

“The exception to this are situations where only the customer’s online bank password is locked because, for example, it has been repeatedly entered incorrectly. In this case, the bank can deliver a new password to the customer also abroad,” says Danske’s director responsible for day-to-day services Heli Pieninkeroinen.

Bank IDs locked in Nordea can be unlocked remotely via customer service if the customer can identify himself with the IDs of another bank. IDs can be locked if they have fallen into the wrong hands or if another person uses the customer’s bank IDs.

“If the customer cannot be identified in customer service with Nordea’s or another Finnish bank’s bank ID, he must go to the branch to identify himself. The matter cannot be handled with a power of attorney,” says Nordea’s director of customer communications Jonna Pesonen.

Rutanen luckily, is not completely in trouble, because he had also prepared for the trip with a Bank Norwegian credit card and a Nordea Electron card. At the moment, Rutanen therefore has to use credit or borrow money.

“Reissuka is in S-bank’s savings account, from which I have transferred money to a current account. As such, there would be money for the trip, but it’s stuck,” says Rutanen.

Rutanen admits that the fight with the bank has dampened the mood of the trip.

“It has taken quite a few days to figure this out. Frustrating thing to do, and it takes time to get an answer. Yes, it makes this trip a bit difficult.”