On March 1st, a video from Mianyang, Sichuan Province circulated online, showing a scenario where children knew the bank password but couldn’t withdraw money, so they had to push their bedridden elderly relative to the bank, sparking public concern.
According to a report by the Litchi News on March 2nd, some netizens recently complained that even though they knew their father’s bank password, they were unable to withdraw money on behalf of their bedridden father. As a last resort, they ended up pushing their father along with the bed to the bank counter to make the withdrawal.
The viral video depicted an elderly person lying on a hospital bed, being wheeled to the bank counter by family members to carry out the transaction. Despite the bewildered gazes from the surrounding people, the bank staff continued to process the transaction without much reaction.
After the video was exposed online, the comment section was quickly flooded with messages from netizens. Many expressed their own frustrating experiences, with comments like, “The Postal Savings Bank is the same. My 93-year-old father fell and when I tried to withdraw 800 yuan for him, I was asked to bring him in person. In the end, we had to push him 5 kilometers in a wheelchair to get the money. It seems the bank’s intention is to make it difficult for us.” Others shared similar stories, with one saying, “We are in a similar situation; even in the ICU, it’s not allowed.”
Some netizens pointed out a bank promise that if money is left untouched for a long period, it should continue according to the previous deposit mode. If it’s a fixed deposit, they must wait until maturity to withdraw, and for a current account, they should be able to withdraw whenever they want. They criticized the banks for unilaterally creating obstacles to money withdrawal, calling it an act of authoritarianism.
In response to this incident, the postal savings branch in Anzhou District, Mianyang, Sichuan Province explained that because the elderly person had not withdrawn the money for many years, it had become a “long-term inactive account.” The bank perceived a risk warning and in order to ensure the safety of the funds, they required personal verification by the account owner.
The bank further stated that they had previously informed the account holder that due to the need for regulatory supervision, home service could only be provided on Mondays. However, the family was in urgent need, and after negotiation, they eventually pushed the elderly person to the bank for the withdrawal.