US bank blocks customer out of nowhere: her money was frozen
An Atlanta woman says a popular U.S. bank suddenly froze her account and prevented her from withdrawing money, leaving her on her own. Green Dot suspended her account due to "unusual activity," reports ABC News affiliate WSB-TV. The woman had to borrow money from friends and family to cover basic needs such as food, gas and transportation. Green Dot unblocked the account after the news outlet followed up and explained that it had provided additional fraud protection for some IRS refunds. Green Dot Bank is a partner of Walmart and TurboTax and specializes in processing tax refunds for 33 million customers. In the first half of 2023, the bank processed approximately 13.78 million tax refunds, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

US bank blocks customer out of nowhere: her money was frozen
An Atlanta woman reports that her bank froze her account without warning, depriving her of the ability to cash out. Shelley Camp says Green Dot suspended her account due to "unusual activity," ABC-affiliated news station WSB-TV reports. Camp was out of town when the bank, which has $4.817 billion in assets and 33 million customers, decided to freeze her account. This left her having to borrow money from friends and family to cover basic needs such as food, gas and transportation. The $640 that was her tax refund remained frozen without further explanation until WSB-TV began investigating. After the news team made contact, Green Dot unblocked the account and explained that “additional fraud measures” were used on some tax refunds. Similar reports of Green Dot freezing accounts related to tax refunds circulated in Tennessee late last year. Green Dot Bank is affiliated with Walmart and TurboTax and specializes in processing tax refunds for 33 million customers. The bank processed approximately 13.78 million tax refunds in the first six months of 2023, according to a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Possible impact and context
The sudden freezing of Shelley Camp's bank account by Green Dot Bank has had a significant impact on her life. She has been forced to borrow money from friends and family to cover basic expenses, putting her financial stability at risk. Such incidents can undermine the public's trust in the bank and the security of their accounts.
Green Dot Bank justified the account unfreezing due to “additional fraud activities” related to some tax refunds. This could indicate that the bank has detected suspicious activity related to IRS refunds and has taken temporary security measures to prevent such fraud attempts. The fact that similar reports of account freezes related to tax refunds have surfaced in Tennessee suggests that Green Dot Bank is not the only financial institution facing such challenges.
Green Dot Bank is a key partner of Walmart and TurboTax and processes tax refunds for a significant number of customers. In the first half of 2023, the bank processed approximately 13.78 million tax refunds, according to a report from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This shows that the company plays a significant role in processing tax refunds and that any potential problems or challenges in doing so could have far-reaching implications.
Table: Information about Green Dot Bank
bank | Green Dot Bank |
---|---|
assets | $4,817 billion |
Customers | 33 million |
partner | Walmart, TurboTax |
Tax refunds 2023 (until June) | 13.78 million |