MrsDoyle

In the UK the bank account number is just a form of ID. Sort code identifies the bank and branch.

When I add a new payee, the bank runs a check to see that the name, sort code and account number match (even if it's from another bank). Even if they do match there's a pop-up warning about scams before the transfer goes ahead. Once they're on my list of payees it's just click and transfer. I do all that on my phone via my bank's app.

There's no way to "pull" money from another account purely using its number. Banking scams do exist here, but they generally rely on bamboozling people into paying money themselves, eg buying gift cards, or giving the scammers control of their phone.

What kind of mould was this, I wonder? It sounds gross, and if such efforts went into eradication it must have been super toxic.

See also Leviticus... lots of food safety prohibitions there.

A murmuration could do it