Couple Gets Banks Account Frozen After Dogecoin Mention

A simple crypto was all it took for a couple in China to get their bank account permanently locked.

The couple shared their story on Chinese social media website 小红书 (Rednote), warning others in China never to put the name of Bitcoin, memecoin or USDT as the reason for the fund transfer lest they want their bank account to be banned.

According to a site called Techub.info in China, the couple had their bank accounts permanently frozen after transferring 250 yuan worth of Dogecoin to one another with the memo "Dogecoin this week."

Dozens of Chinese nationals have also taken it to social media to share similar experiences of how their bank accounts were frozen after mentioning "Dogecoin" or "USDT" in the memo-and almost no recourse for their money getting unfrozen thereafter.

Some added that the only way to get back their bank account unfrozen is to prove to the bank officials that the money wasn't used to purchase cryptocurrency, a full explanation as to why cryptocurrency was referenced, and wait for the review.

The entire process can take weeks to occur, if the account is unfrozen at all.

The episode underscores how aggressively Chinese retail banks are enforcing anti-crypto controls. While China formally banned cryptocurrency trading years ago, enforcement now appears to extend beyond trading activity itself to even casual references within domestic banking transactions.

A Stark Contrast With the United States

The tightening stance stands in sharp contrast to developments in the United States, where crypto trading, stablecoins, and token launches have become increasingly normalized.

As US policymakers debate frameworks for digital assets and prominent political figures openly engage with crypto-linked ventures, Chinese banks are freezing accounts over a single word typed into a memo line.

The regulatory divergence highlights a widening policy gap between the world’s two largest economies. While Washington appears to be inching toward integration of digital assets into mainstream finance, Beijing’s retail banking system is reinforcing firewalls designed to keep crypto activity out entirely.

For everyday Chinese citizens, the message circulating online is blunt: avoid mentioning crypto at all costs — even in passing — or risk losing access to your bank account.