New and updated guides, and news on CIFAS fraud markers, account closures and de-banking.https://fraudmarkers.com/en-gbhttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/bank-account-with-a-cifas-marker/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/bank-account-with-a-cifas-marker/A CIFAS marker does not automatically bar you from a bank account, and no official list says which banks "accept" markers. Under the Payment Accounts Regulations 2015, the nine banking groups designated by HM Treasury must offer a basic account to eligible applicants, but must refuse where opening the account would be unlawful, including under the Fraud Act 2006 or the money laundering regulations.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/financial-ombudsman-fraud-marker-complaint/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/financial-ombudsman-fraud-marker-complaint/You can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) about a fraud marker once you have complained to the financial business that filed it and either received its final response or waited out the time it is allowed to take. You then have six months from the date on a final response that tells you about that limit. The Ombudsman checks whether the firm had reasonable grounds and clear, relevant and rigorous evidence, and it cannot look at complaints about Cifas itself.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/debanking-explained/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/debanking-explained/De-banking is the everyday term for a bank closing or refusing an account. For accounts opened on or after 28 April 2026, a provider must normally give at least 90 days' notice and a written explanation that is detailed and specific, with a set list of exceptions. Accounts opened before that date are on the older rule of at least two months' notice, if the contract provides for it, with no equivalent duty to give reasons.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/how-to-check-if-you-have-a-cifas-marker/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/how-to-check-if-you-have-a-cifas-marker/To check whether you have a CIFAS marker, make a free data subject access request (DSAR) to Cifas online. You will need two proofs of identity and your address history for the last six years, and Cifas must reply within one calendar month of receiving a complete request.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/how-to-remove-a-cifas-marker/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/how-to-remove-a-cifas-marker/A CIFAS marker is removed by the organisation that filed it, and only if it accepts, or is directed, that it should not have been filed. The usual route is a request for your data from Cifas, a complaint to the filing firm, a Cifas review, then the Financial Ombudsman Service for banks and lenders, the ICO for data protection failings, and ultimately the courts. The test throughout is whether the firm had reasonable grounds to believe fraud or financial crime was committed or attempted, backed by clear, relevant and rigorous evidence.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/what-is-a-cifas-marker/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/what-is-a-cifas-marker/A CIFAS marker is a record placed on the National Fraud Database, run by the fraud prevention agency Cifas, by a bank, lender or other member organisation that believes fraud or financial crime has been committed or attempted. It can stay on the database for up to six years and is shared with other members, so it can lead to accounts being closed or applications being declined.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/bank-account-frozen/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/bank-account-frozen/A frozen bank account is usually one of three things, and how long it lasts depends on which. It may be the bank's own block, a hold while the bank asks the National Crime Agency (NCA) for consent to act, or a court account freezing order. The Financial Ombudsman Service gives no fixed period for a bank's own block and says such measures are in most cases temporary. After the NCA refuses consent the hold lasts 31 days, which a court can extend by up to 186 further days, and for a court freezing order the court can specify a period of up to two years.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/how-long-does-a-cifas-marker-last/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/how-long-does-a-cifas-marker-last/Cifas says a CIFAS marker can be held on its database for up to six years. Markers that protect you as a victim of identity fraud are held for 13 months from the date of submission, and a Protective Registration you buy lasts 24 months unless you ask for it to be removed.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/guides/cifas-marker-removal-cost/https://fraudmarkers.com/guides/cifas-marker-removal-cost/Cifas says it will never charge you to make a data subject access request (DSAR) or a complaint, and the Financial Ombudsman Service says its service is free. None of the official sources we cite gives a price for solicitor work. Cifas recommends avoiding third parties that claim to guarantee removal of Cifas markers for a charge.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-09-23-fca-money-mule-account-closures-2025/https://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-09-23-fca-money-mule-account-closures-2025/The FCA reports that a survey of 35 financial firms found 238,396 accounts closed as suspected money mule accounts in 2025, compared with 233,269 in 2024 and 184,935 in 2023. It says closures were highest among customers aged 26 to 39, with the sharpest rise among those aged 40 to 49, and that criminals typically cash out between the second and fifth account in a chain of transfers. The FCA says it is working with industry on an action plan to improve how firms and law enforcement share intelligence on suspected mule activity.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-09-11-nca-v-premier-league-account-freezing-order/https://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-09-11-nca-v-premier-league-account-freezing-order/A District Judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court granted the NCA's application to extend an account freezing order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 by four months, to 15 January 2027, the two-year maximum. The judge held that the test is reasonable grounds to suspect the money is recoverable property, and that there is no separate requirement to show the account should stay frozen while its source is investigated. The order had earlier been reduced by consent from about 16.3 million pounds to about 10.0 million pounds after the NCA accepted the removed funds were not recoverable property.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-09-08-companies-house-joins-national-fraud-database/https://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-09-08-companies-house-joins-national-fraud-database/Cifas says Companies House has become a member of the National Fraud Database, the shared fraud-risk database run by Cifas. Cifas says the membership will help Companies House spot suspicious activity around company registrations earlier and act faster where a company appears linked to fraud. It links the move to the wider powers Companies House gained under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, including verifying the identity of directors.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-08-04-cifas-fraud-cases-first-half-2026/https://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-08-04-cifas-fraud-cases-first-half-2026/Cifas says more than 220,000 fraud-risk cases were recorded to the National Fraud Database between January and June 2026, the highest total it has recorded for that period, with identity fraud making up 59%. It reports nearly 13,000 money mule recordings, a 70% rise on the same period of 2025, and says mules now make up 30% of misuse of facility cases. Cifas says 57% of mule cases involve people under 30.Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-07-22-fos-q1-2026-27-complaints-data/https://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-07-22-fos-q1-2026-27-complaints-data/The Financial Ombudsman Service says it received 53,600 new complaints between April and June 2026, broadly level with the previous quarter and down from 68,000 a year earlier. Current accounts were the top complaint area with 8,900 cases, mostly about fraud and scams. It also reports that 26% of cases overall were upheld and that complainants used professional representatives in about 10% of cases.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-07-07-fca-basic-bank-accounts-mystery-shopping/https://fraudmarkers.com/news/2026-07-07-fca-basic-bank-accounts-mystery-shopping/The FCA says mystery shopping of the nine providers that must offer basic bank accounts rated 28% of 298 interactions as good or very good, 38% as fair, 20% as poor and 14% as very poor. It found that some customers, including people in financial hardship or without standard ID or a fixed address, were not offered a basic account or were steered to unsuitable online applications. The nine firms have agreed improvement plans and a joint commitment, agreed with UK Finance, to offer the right account first time with clear communication.Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT