[koolba]

Once something gets flagged as a potential violation, it turns into a guilty until proven innocent situation. Square has much more to lose than just some bad PR or the spread on $14K so they’re fine with freezing the money until they get a clear ruling from the US regulators that could put them in a proverbially vice. The name “Havana” probably tipped off something and now it’ll be stuck like that until a high enough exec decides to take the heat for cutting it loose.

If you want to try this out yourself (don’t do this...), send money to a friend via Venmo or equivalent, put something blatantly criminal in the description like “Heroin” or “ISIS tuition”, and see what happens.

[parliament32]

I've put everything from "erotic services" to "5kg of cocaine" in the memo fields of cheques, bank transfers, and interac e-transfers and never had an issue of any sort.

[tbyehl]

I always put something suggestive of prostitution when I Zelle money to my partner. Have not seized our money, yet.