Rhiannon Ingle
Look, we've all done it.
Whether it's after a night out, a group holiday booking or simply an otherwise tame birthday meal - it seems we've all been guilty of transferring our mates' money that we owe them with some pretty X-rated references for a laugh.
However, you may want to think twice before hopping on the juvenile, but arguably hilarious, trend of writing 'DRUG MONEY' or 'THANKS FOR THE SEX' the next time you swing your pals a tenner may land you and them in some pretty hot water.
Some people don't seem to be aware of the risks of the prank, with many rushing to social media to warn others with cautionary tales of all that went wrong, so they don't fall victim to the absolute chaos it can wreak havoc on their lives.
Advert
Taking to Reddit, one person asked: "Is it bad to use silly names when doing bank transfers?"
Continuing their query, the jokester explained: "As a joke, when I send money to friends or even to myself, for a laugh, I’ll use silly references like 'money for anal sex' or 'money for bl*w and wh*res' you know, stuff like that.
"I had one friend who got mildly upset at it and told me not to do it because banks look at my transactions during mortgage applications, and that these transactions would raise questions. "Is this true?"
Proving once again that the internet is a never-ending fountain of knowledge, a second Redditor confirmed: "When they go through the last three years' bank statements when applying for a mortgage and have to ask you what that was referring to, it might get a little embarrassing."
A third revealed: "I got declined for a mortgage because of the payment references that people entered when paying me for a stag-do that I organised.
"Apparently, retail banks don't look favourably on applicants that receive payments for 'anal inspectors retirement fund', 'horse w*nking', or 'John Craven's smelly m*nge'."
"I had my PayPal account frozen for marking a payment as 'Yakuza'," confessed a third, referring to members of transnational organised crime syndicates originating in Japan.
A fourth chimed in: "I don't know, but my bank once phoned me because I used a reference 'throw an axe at Sam' (we were going axe throwing) and they were concerned, so someone does check those!"
"Sent PayPal to a cousin who kindly lent me some cash when I was short one night," confessed another. "Put on it something about sexual services rendered and forgot all about it. 2 Days later, cousin is on the phone having had her PayPal account frozen along with all money in it.
"Many phone calls and emails later, and she got her PayPal restored, and I decided not to bother doing that stuff any more lol. She wasn't impressed."
And a final Redditor highlighted: "Haha, I used to have a job that involved looking through bank statements and while it shouldn't get you in any trouble or count against you, more than once I had to ask exactly what certain transactions actually referred to because the owner had put a silly reference on.
"My favourite was the guy who labelled every transfer to his girlfriend with 'vajazzle'. First, I had to Google the word, then explain to my boss why I had set off the company's computer monitoring, then ask the guy what on earth it was all about!"
And don't just take a stranger's online word for it, as Experian's Consumer Affairs Executive, John Webb, has explained to Manchester Evening News that a jokey reference could impact your mortgage application one day.
"Doing a thorough review of your income and spending well in advance is crucial. Along with your credit report, lenders are likely to take a keen look at your bank statement transactions when you apply. So keep your spending under control and, of course, avoid witty payment references that a mortgage underwriter might not look favourably on," he said.
John continued: "If you include a reference, there are generally a couple of rules to stick to: don’t be defamatory and don’t be frivolous. It’s probably good to avoid comments about race, sexuality, disabilities, gender or religion.
"Mortgage underwriters will review your documents seriously, so your best bet is to use common sense, keep it clean and be professional. If you’re unsure, you can usually leave it blank, or add the word 'payment'."
Noted.