Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/04/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had been banking with koho for over a year. Suddenly Dec 2024 they closed my acct. I had around 3500, in the account remaining. They had asked me to provide an email to send it to. Which I did. They asked me for photo verification, which I sent. They said I would receive the transfer in 3 days. I have been asking for updates and for someone to call and they keep saying there internal team is working on it. Not once has someone reached out to me. Or given me any updates I need the money and they are with holding the payment to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2025

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by our delayed response. After reviewing your account, we are pleased to inform you that we are currently in the process of releasing your funds. You can expect to receive them within the next 3 days. Kindly keep an eye on your email for further updates.
  
  We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.
  
  Best regards,
  KOHO

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/04/2025

  I have reviewed the response made by the business and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/04/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  To Whom It May Concern, ** **** ** ****** ******* *** I am filing a complaint against Koho Financial Inc. due to inconsistent and obstructive identity verification practices, which have led to the wrongful restriction of access to my account.
  
  When my phone broke, I was unable to access my Koho account due to two-factor authentication. I contacted customer service, and they quickly updated my phone number without asking for government-issued photo ID. However, when I tried to revert to my original phone number weeks later, I was blocked by their ID verification system, despite having used that number for over two years.
  
  I do not have a valid photo ID but offered alternative identification, including my birth certificate, government mail, and a photo of my health card. I also provided access to my direct deposit details, transaction history, and email contacts, but Koho refused all offers of verification.
  
  I’ve spoken to over 15 representatives, including supervisors, and none were willing to resolve the issue. Koho admitted that switching my phone number without ID was a mistake, yet I am being penalized for it. Their selective enforcement of ID policies is unfair and unregulated.
  
  I am now unable to access my funds, despite direct deposits being made into the account. **** ********** ** ********* ** *********** * ** ********** *** *** *********** **** **** ** Inconsistent *** ********* enforcement of identity verification
  ** Refusal to accept reasonable alternative identification
  
  
  3. Wrongful withholding of funds
  ** *********** ******** ******* ********* *. Failure to resolve the issue despite documentation and ample opportunities
  
  I want immediate access to my account and all funds. ****** ******* ** ** ******* *********** ** ******* ********** ****** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 07/04/2025

  Hi ******! We're sorry to hear about your experience with verifying your identity. KOHO has a procedure to request identity verification after making any account modification. We do require physical identification for security reasons. Please reach out to our team at ***********@****.ca to see if an alternate solution is available. 

  Best,

  KOHO

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/04/2025

  I am rejecting this response because:

  KOHO's response to my complaint is completely unsatisfactory. They are deflecting by restating a generic policy about needing ID to make account changes — but my complaint is that they already changed my phone number without verifying my ID in the first place.
  If security procedures are so important, why were they ignored when the change was made? KOHO is refusing to admit they made this change without following their own protocols, and now they’re demanding ID from me to undo it — essentially punishing me for their screw-up.
  I have reached out to their support previously, and now they’re telling me to email a different address to start the whole process over. That’s not resolution — that’s delay and avoidance.
  I would like this complaint to remain open. KOHO needs to acknowledge their mistake, not bury it under a canned response.

  They're trying to cover their mistake instead of owning up to the fact they violated their own so-called policy. ****** ***** ** ***** *** *** *** ***** ** **** they're just gaslighting me with corporate copy-paste ******* instead of admitting fault.

  ****** ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:31/03/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On the 30th of March. Koho which is a credit company took 10 doller out of my personal debit card with scotiabank. I didn't subscribed to anything or any service I have used their card at all. I didn't gave any pre authorized conneset or any other concent to them to use my personal debit from other banks at all. I contacted them to close my account completely but they didn't do it. My balance is zero I don't owe any money. **** ** **** **** *** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 31/03/2025

  Hi ***, thanks for sharing this.

  Please note that your Credit Building feature was activated on January 20 2025. The $10 monthly fee needs to be paid to keep this feature active.

  The last two months were missed which is why the feature showed $20 NSF for the fee.

  My team has since credited your account $20 for the NSF fees as a goodwill gesture, cancelled the feature and closed your account per your request.

  Thank you and have a good day. 

  KOHO

• Initial Complaint

  Date:28/03/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I logged into my Koho account with the intention to close the account. ** ** ********* despite having clicked to end my subscription all the way back in 2023 I now see a balance owing of $190. I was being billed for 19 months at $10/month to my account balance for a subscription that I already attempted to cancel. Furthermore, because the service is a credit building service I checked my credit report to see if in fact, Koho has at least been reporting to the credit agency, which is the whole point of the subscription. They have not. Not for the entirety of the 19 months.
  I have contacted customer service to which they said they will not take off these charges and furthermore, they will not even cancel my subscription going forward so that the account no longer accrues additional charges. They simply insist that this is not their problem and that I owe them $190 for doing nothing. I have a long email thread with customer service telling me that they will not take off the charges and they won’t even cancel the subscription and stop charges moving forward

  Business Response

  Date: 28/03/2025

  Hi *******,

  Thank you for reaching out. I apologize for any inconvenience you are experiencing.

  I have cancelled the Credit building subscription and waived the fees.

  Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any questions concerns.

  Regards,

  KOHO team

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:21/03/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I went to get groceries and the transaction was declined, but kho took the money and hasn't returned it giving excuses that it's in the merchant, but the merchant went to their bank and tried to help, but they can't do anything because it was declined, now koho refuse to correct the error or let me dispute it, doing nothing to help get my money back from their systems.

  Business Response

  Date: 22/03/2025

  Hello ********,
  
  We understand how frustrating this situation must have been. We have carefully reviewed your account, and we hope we can clarify now what a pending status for a transaction means.
  
  A pending charge is a temporary hold placed by a merchant to ensure funds are available for a transaction. While our support team doesn't have the ability to cancel pending charges, they typically clear once the merchant finalizes the transaction.

  Pending charges usually convert into actual charges once the transaction is processed and finalized by the merchant. If the transaction is not completed, the pending charge will typically be released, and the funds will return to your available balance. This process is typically resolved within 7 days for regular purchases and up to 16 days for car rentals and hotel deposits.

  That said, we've looked into this for you, and we can see that the pending transaction you're referring to has already expired. This means the amount bounced back to your account on March 21.
  
  If you have any further questions, feel free to let us know.
  
  Regards,
  KOHO

• Initial Complaint

  Date:20/03/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  i opened this account and had my pay cheque emailed to me. when it was deposited about 6 hours later i couldnt get into the account. when i chatted to them about it I was told they were closing my account due to circumstances they were unable to provide me and then told me it would take 3 buisness days to get my funds

  Business Response

  Date: 21/03/2025

  Hey ********,
  Our team continuously reviews account activity and conducts risk assessments to protect our platform and users. Based on our recent review, we have made the decision to close your account. For security reasons, we're unable to go into detail regarding this decision and we apologize for any inconvenience. As per our Cardholder Agreement, KOHO reserves the right to terminate services at our discretion.
  
  If you have any questions, please refer to our Cardholder Agreement.

  That being said, a manual e-transfer with your account balance has been issued to your email on your account on March 20th, 2025. 
  
  Thank you for your understanding.

  KOHO

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:14/03/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ** *** ***** **** ******* ********* **** ** ***** ** ******* ********** ************* ***** ** * ***** * ** * ******** ****** On February 25 2025 at 10:35, I transfered 84.30 from my roundups to my spending account. It disappeared. I have tried to contact koho on multiple occasions, both by thier " helpful chat bot" and phone. I cannot afford the money they charge for thier everything plan, which is more than most banks charge for thier services and you still get to talk to a person. Even if you have the lowest tier plan I need to talk to a person. * **** * ***** ****** *** *** *** **** ****** *** talking to a robot that just keeps repeating itself on a loop ***** ** * ********.The chat not said someone would be in contact with me,It has been over two weeks. I want my money back. ***** ***

  Business Response

  Date: 14/03/2025

   

  Hello *********, 

  Thank you for reaching out. I understand that you are reaching out because you transferred 84.30 from your roundups to my spending account. Roundups are always accounted for in the total account balance, and would not appear in your transaction feed as they are a visual balance in-app. I have sent you an email with your statement balance attached between February 24th, 2025 to March 14th, 2025, so you can track all your transactions within this period including authorizations and refunds. 

  Thank you. 

  KOHO

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/03/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Onn October 1, 2024 my Koho account was fraudulently compromized. I track the transaction to ******** USA. It was recorded as a phone tranransaction. i have not been in the US for many years. I pleaded with Koho to make good on this however they refused. On escalating this to management I didn't hear back.
  I have further realized that I have been paying monthly for a service "Credit Building" since May 2024 @ $10.00 per month. I did not sign up for the sevice nor have used it. They have refunded me a mere $10.00 in total. I'm out a further $90.00

  Business Response

  Date: 12/03/2025

  Hi, I am sorry to hear about this situation. Our dispute team has responded to you in regard to the dispute you filled. The dispute was rejected and the decision cannot be disputed.
  When it comes to the Credit Building fees. Only the owner of the account can subscribe to it since it is necessary to have access to your password / passcode or face recognition to access your account. You subscribed in May 2024 and was billed monthly for the feature. It is up to the owner of the account to monitor the transactions and active features. No refund can be issued for the Credit Building feature. 
  I am sorry that the outcome is not what you were hoping for. 
  
  Thank you 

  KOHO. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/03/2025

  
  I am rejecting this response because:  Koho is responsible for these fraudulant entries.  I have not been to the USA where the transactions took place via my cell phone as they suggested.  The secirity of Koho has been breeched and I should not be responsible for that
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 13/03/2025

  Hi there, thank you for following up.

  Unfortunately we will not be able to proceed with the dispute as our team has closed this case. We apologize again for any inconvenience.

  KOHO

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/03/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My KOHO account was closed on or around March 9th, 2025.
  I contacted their customer team via in-app chat (the only way available), but no information was provided.
  Asking them to reinstate my account and related services.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2025

  Hi ******.

  My name is Violet and I am a supervisor at KOHO.

  Our team has ultimately made the decision to keep the account closed.
  
  For security reasons, we're unable to go into detail regarding the decision and we do apologize for the inconvenience.
  
  If you have any questions, please refer to our Cardholder Agreement.
  
  Thank you

  ******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/03/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I opened a KOHO online bank account over 3 years ago, & on Tuesday morning last week they without any warning or reason put a verification blockage on my account, suspended everything & will not give me access to my account.
  I live in a very small town ** **** ****** with no bank & no place to even attempt to get a new picture ID.
  I get a monthly deposit from social assistance for years now & got a deposit Wednesday evening for $1685. I have been reaching out to KOHO via app chat every single day sometimes multiple times a day providing different ways of identity verification only to be told that the internal team is looking into it, I provided a late rent notice to them, because I rent on a month to month basis *** **** ** ******* ******* ******** ******* ** * ***** *** ** ***** * **** ** ***** ***** *** ** * ******** * I have explained this to koho over and over again, I have a temporary ID now from *** that they won’t even look at now , I have asked them to at least e-transfer my rent money to my landlord, or close my account and e-transfer the email on file and they refuse I know it’s possible to do ******* * ********** ***** ********* ** **** ********* * I am out of time & this was my last option. I’m not sure what else to do , as i keep getting different answers from each person I chat with. Thank you .

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2025

  Hi *******,
  I hope you're doing well!
  My name is Violet, and I’m a supervisor at KOHO. I’m really sorry for any trouble you’re experiencing.
  I’ve taken a look at your account and can confirm that our team is actively reviewing it. I’ve also asked them to prioritize your request, so you should hear from them soon.
  Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do in the meantime!
  Best,
  ******