'Kafkaesque': bank blocks cash transfer, saying it could be an AI scam

Starling Bank blocked a £12,800 transfer thwarting a potential AI scam. An Edinburgh professor, John MacInnes, intended to send funds to a longtime friend in Austria but faced extreme security measures. After Guardian intervention, the bank admitted its excessive actions, unblocked his account, and allowed the transfer.

• Starling Bank blocked a €15,000 payment suspecting an AI scam.
• The recipient was a long-known friend of the sender, John MacInnes.
• The fraud team demanded unusual proof like tax bills and correspondence.
• The bank froze MacInnes's account when he threatened to close it.
• The transaction proceeded following intervention from Guardian Money.