Difficulties in withdrawing cash have been frequently reported in different parts of China. Recently, a netizen in Shenyang, Liaoning, posted a video claiming that when she went to Agricultural Bank to withdraw the 5000 yuan her husband had transferred to her, the bank asked for her husband to be present and provide marriage certificates and other documents to prove their marital relationship. The video has sparked discussions online.
According to the woman, on November 28th, after a failed attempt to pay rent using her Agricultural Bank card, she went to the bank to withdraw the 5000 yuan her husband had just transferred. However, the bank asked her to prove the identity of the person who made the transfer and then requested her husband to come to the branch, providing household registration, ID cards, marriage certificates, and other documents to prove their marital status. Furthermore, they asked for proof of the intended use of the 5000 yuan.
The woman questioned the bank staff, saying, “The money is in your bank. When I want to use it, you tell me I can’t use it. You do not have the right to control it. I am not borrowing money from your bank; I am using my own money.”
Ultimately, after consulting with superiors, the bank staff informed the woman that she did not need to provide any documents and could directly withdraw the money.
After the woman posted the video online, Agricultural Bank customer service responded to Jiemu News on November 29th, stating that the situation of the account holder may involve telecommunications fraud or abnormal transactions, hence they required her to bring relevant documents for verification.
In recent years, under the pretext of anti-fraud measures, restrictions on customers withdrawing funds have become increasingly common in China, with netizens from various regions expressing similar experiences.
On November 27th, a woman in Xingtai, Hebei, posted a video saying that she went to Industrial and Commercial Bank to withdraw money for her husband’s hospitalization expenses, only to be questioned by bank staff for a long time, asking which hospital and department her husband was admitted to. The woman angrily criticized, “When dealing with hundreds of thousands in telecommunications fraud transfers, everything goes smoothly, but ordinary people trying to withdraw money are treated with such difficulties.”
A netizen from Jiangsu commented in the video section, saying, “A few days ago, when I went to withdraw money from a deposit, the counter asked me why I was withdrawing money. I said it’s my own money, why do you care? It’s both infuriating and funny!”
A netizen from Yunnan stated, “My partner’s card is from Changsha. When his parents transferred money to him, the card was frozen, claiming frequent transfers from different locations require submission of the household registration book for unlocking. Although it’s said to prevent fraud, it still feels strange.”
A netizen from Zhejiang shared, “A customer transferred money to me and then the card was frozen for 7 days, only able to deposit but not withdraw.” A netizen from Chongqing said, “Same with my salary card.”
Netizens have been complaining online, “Easy to deposit, hard to withdraw.” “Why are there so many complications when withdrawing money compared to depositing?” “Scammers can easily transfer hundreds of thousands, but getting your own money is full of obstacles.”
Some netizens directly expressed their frustration, “If it’s so troublesome, why bother depositing money?” “Agricultural Bank locked my card, so I cancelled it.” “I nearly cancelled my bank card, fed up with frequent reductions and limits. Even after going to the counter, it was useless.” “I directly cancelled my Postal Savings Bank card and transferred 400,000 yuan.”
In the face of such challenges in accessing their own funds, many netizens are questioning the increasing hurdles imposed by banks and calling for smoother and more efficient banking services.