Man told off by bank for his payment reference names when transferring money to friends

A man received a stern warning from his bank, after using controversial reference names when transferring money.

It’s never an easy temptation to steer clear of, writing the reference of a transaction to a mate as an inside joke, but this man got well and truly caught out.

And if there was ever a reason you never joked in a reference again, it’s probably going to be this.

In a post on Reddit, the man, known only as Joe, shared a screengrab of a very stern email he received.

It explained that, while they understood he was probably just messing about, he should think again before trying to be a comedian.

"We are obliged to investigate such matters." (Reddit)

More specifically, it urged him not to mention terrorist organisations in bank transfer documents.

They have a point, I reckon.

Joe shared the post with the caption: "My bank told me off", before revealing the email, which read: "Hi Joe, You recently marked payments 'Taliban training', Jihad fee' and 'ISIS training'.

"While we appreciate that you are probably having a joke with your friends, we are obliged to investigate such matters, which is time consuming.

"Be assured, your friend's bank will be doing the same.

"This is a polite request to ask you to cease marking payments in this manner."

But this isn't the first time that banks have warned about the dangers of trying to be amusing when transferring money.

A couple of years ago, Domain reported that if you've sent or received money to or from your mates with hilarious captions like 'coke bender' or 'strip clubs', then banks might delay your application.

He won't be doing that again. (Getty Stock Images)

Chris Foster-Ramsay, principal finance broker at Foster Ramsay Finance, told the property site it's really not wise to joke with banks.

"If that person happens to be in the property market at that time, the bank's going, 'Hang on, what's this?' Particularly if there's $50 here or $50 there," he said.

"[Banks ask,] 'Is it adult entertainment?'... If that happens over a period of time, the bank is picking up on it. Bank statements are a legal document. You have to be semi-serious about it. As fun as it may be, it's not advisable to be creative in the transfer text."

40Forty Finance director Will Unkles also told Domain: "I've seen everything [on bank statements], from things that are pretty outlandish, to things that are 'dinner'.

"It is something that's going to hold up the process but it's not something that's going to mean you won't get a home loan."

So, yeah, probably best to leave it blank or give it a sensible reference next time.