Cifas misuse of facility: what it means
Updated 28 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
In short
Misuse of facility is a Cifas marker category. It means a member, usually a bank, believes an account or service was used for fraud or financial crime, for example to receive and pass on stolen money. The bank needs more than suspicion. You can challenge it through the bank, a Cifas review and the Financial Ombudsman.
What the category means
Your Cifas report shows the category of any marker. Misuse of facility is used when a member believes an account, card or other service was used for fraud or another financial crime. Often that is money coming into an account and going out again, which the bank links to a fraud somewhere else.
Common situations
- a payment for something sold online that the buyer later reported as fraud,
- money received and passed on for someone else, sometimes after an approach on social media or a job offer,
- unusual payments the bank could not match to an explanation.
Your situation may be none of these. The route to challenge it is the same whatever led to the marker.
What the bank has to show
A bank does not have to prove a crime beyond reasonable doubt. But the Financial Ombudsman has said in its decisions that it needs more than mere suspicion or concern. The Cifas standard quoted in those decisions is:
- reasonable grounds to believe a fraud or financial crime was committed or attempted, and
- evidence that is clear, relevant and rigorous.
That is why a challenge is built on evidence: first finding out what the bank relied on, then showing your side with documents.
How to challenge it
- Get your free Cifas report and your data from the bank.
- Build a timeline of the payments, with a document for each one.
- Complain to the bank and ask for a final response.
- Ask Cifas to review it, and go to the Financial Ombudsman within 6 months of the final response.
Be honest with yourself
If you knew your account was being used to move someone else's money, a complaint is unlikely to help, and you should get independent legal advice. Citizens Advice is free.
Questions
What does misuse of facility mean on a Cifas report?
That a member believes an account or service was used for fraud or financial crime, for example to receive and pass on stolen money.
Does the bank have to prove it?
Not beyond reasonable doubt, but the Financial Ombudsman has said a bank needs more than suspicion, with clear, relevant and rigorous evidence.
Can a misuse of facility marker be removed?
Yes, if the bank that filed it agrees, or a Cifas review or a Financial Ombudsman decision finds it should not stand.