Recently, Sberbank customers have been pouring massive complaints about blocking payment cards with reference to Federal Law No. 115. To be able to use your money again, you must act in a certain order.
Federal Law No. 115 is entitled “On Counteracting Legalization (Laundering) of Criminally Obtained Incomes and Financing of Terrorism”. Thus, blocking payment and credit cards based on this law is possible if the bank suspects that they are making payments in support of terrorist organizations.
If the cardholder really sent personal money to illegal needs within the framework of this law, blocking the card is indeed justified. In this case, there can hardly be any evidence to the contrary. However, very often Sberbank prohibits access to payments, regardless of whether the transactions are legal or not. This can happen in the following cases:
- mass purchase and sale of cryptocurrency using a bank card;
- large transfers of money to previously unused accounts;
- single or multiple receipt of an amount exceeding 600,000 rubles on the card;
- receiving or returning loans from individuals or legal entities (with a corresponding note when transferring);
- receipt of income from the accounts of individual entrepreneurs or legal entities;
- transfers of funds to accounts and cards of citizens who previously violated Russian law or are on the list of suspected terrorist activities.
In such situations, you should contact the nearest Sberbank office in your city as soon as possible. It is best to ask for a face-to-face meeting with the head of the office, since ordinary tellers do not have the authority to lift the blockage taken under the legislative measures. The management's standard proposal will be to terminate the agreement with the bank and transfer to another financial institution for servicing. However, at the same time, funds usually remain frozen in blocked accounts.
If you want to get access to your funds again and prove the fact that the blocking was made by mistake, fill out an application addressed to the head of the branch with a request to unblock the card. Indicate in it the date and reason for blocking. Describe in detail for what purposes the card was used, to whom and for what the money transfers were made. If the accounts were frozen due to the frequent arrival of amounts from unreliable sources, list them all and attach supporting documents to the application, for example, certificates of 2-NDFL and 3-NDFL on the payment of taxes on the amounts received, papers confirming large purchases for business goals, etc.
Wait for the bank's decision, which is usually made within 30 days. In case of refusal to return access to accounts and cards, despite the evidence provided, you can go to court by filing a claim for illegal restriction of consumer services, attaching copies of requests to the bank and documents confirming your non-involvement in FZ-115.
