Shannon, I'm a banker in Canada - there are differences between Canada and USA, but overall, many things are similar.

I'm really sorry to hear what happened. Going forward, please consider doing the following:

1. Having more than one account, either a savings or a chequing one. It's not just banks that can close/freeze your accounts, it's IRS as well. And IRS is even more ruthless (Canadian CRA isn't much better).

2. Have chequing accounts, not just savings accounts.

3. Have a credit card and a line of credit as a back-up. You should NEVER be in a position of not being able to buy groceries and pay for gas because a bank decided to close your account.

IMPORTANT: 4. Be careful with the transactions you make. I won't be giving out any secret info here: just google "can your transaction be flagged by a bank". You'll see articles saying your transaction can get flagged if it's over $10k. There are other articles saying it can be thousands and thousands of dollars and doesn't have to be $10k.

I don't want to defend banks per say, but because of the volume of money laundering and fraud, these rules are in place for a reason. And YES, it's INNOCENT people who gets hurt in the process. Are you at fault for money launderes laundering money? Absolutely not. But are you the one getting hurt? Sadly, yes.

As for Capital One, shame on them.

Banks with good reputation care A LOT about making sure their clients don't get hurt. And they still screw up sometimes, but at least they are trying their best. Capital One clearly isn't.

Please consider researching a complain process in your state. Please also consider reaching out to the Ombudsman, BBB, Human Rights governmental body, and any other government organizations willing to accept a formal complaint.

Frankly speaking, you can potentially launch a lawsuit again Capital One. They are hoping they can do whatever they want, provide a subpar service, and by the end of the day only 1 out of 10 people will go and complain or sue them. You guys have a culture of suing for wrongdoing in the States, and that's something Canada needs too. They ruined your birthday and put your health and life at risk. They deserve to get sued. Rant over. I hope you'll figure this out.