Ecobank account provides you access to various banking services to meet your financial needs but there are occasions when you need to block it for the safety of your account.
Who can block Ecobank Account?
The bank has made it possible for account owners to block their Ecobank accounts when they are in danger of fraud or any form of risk to their accounts. The way to go about blocking it is simply to use a code provided by Ecobank. Also, this code will be shared later in this article
Ecobank can also block an account without the express permission of the account owner. This can happen when they notice suspicious activities on the account. However, there are other valid reasons why Ecobank may block an account. Below are some other reasons why an Ecobank account can be blocked by the bank.
Deposit above tier level of the customer immediately blocks the account pending some account verifications by the customer. When a customer account is blocked by the bank or the account owner, it will take an intervention from the bank to make the account active again. That is, the account owner has to report to the bank and make a complaint about the problem then they will be guided on how to go about resolving it.
Now here is how to block your account
USSD
On your phone dial *966*911#. It will show a prompt allowing you to enter your Ecobank account number, then your phone number.
Since blocking your account is considered an extreme measure, you will be required to confirm that you really want to block your Ecobank account by selecting 1 from the options provided.
Once selected and sent, your Ecobank account will be blocked immediately.
But there are other ways to block your Ecobank account. Account owners can call Ecobank customer care team to help block their account especially when their phone number has not yet been linked to their account number.
The customer care team will not be able to do it without getting details and approval from you so you may need to send your account details and a sign that you approve that your account should be blocked for reasons.
They can also guide you on how best to go about unblocking your Ecobank account when the time is right. The USSD is the most responsive because apps can be compromised by third-party sites and criminals while the USSD which directly links to the account helps customers to take quick actions aimed at protecting their account from fraudulent activities.
Alternatively, Ecobank can be contacted directly through its customer care line at +234 12772904 or by email ecobankenquiries@ecobank.com. Request to the bank should be clear and precise to ensure that prompt actions are taken by representatives of the bank. Calling the customer care line provides a highly interactive medium for the account owners to explain why they want the account to be blocked. They may be required to provide some account information such as account name, account type, phone number linked to email and account number. If need be, the account owners will be required to send documents via email or visit any of the bank’s branches to complete their request.
However, if you need to send an email message requesting that your Ecobank account should be urgently blocked, it can be patterned after the sample below:
“Good day,
I hereby request the blocking of my Ecobank account with immediate effect to stop some suspicious activities and unauthorized transactions.
Account name: Stanley Chike Okeh, Account number 17755xxxxxx, Account type Savings, Phone number 080xxx xxx xxx.”
Important Notes
The subject of account blocking is very important because it is sometimes a necessary measure to protect the account. But there are some preconditions and factors that determine the use of the account blocking option:
Phone number linked to an account
To block your Ecobank account using USSD, your phone number must be linked to your Ecobank account. If otherwise, you will need to access other means of blocking your account as fast as you can, especially if there is the threat of fraud.
Irrespective of the circumstances that warranted the blocking of your Ecobank, ensure that you contact the bank to inform them of the development and possibly apply other ways of securing your account.
