IT fiasco gives TSB customers access to wrong accounts

FURIOUS TSB customers rounded on the bank last night after an IT upgrade left them unable to access their accounts and fearing their personal information had been exposed to fraudsters.

Some found their savings had disappeared and that their cards had been blocked, leaving them without access to their money.

Others said that when they tried to log in to online or mobile banking they instead saw the accounts and details of other customers.

One said he was given access to six accounts held by others. They contained up to £20,000.

Those who tried to contact TSB for help were left frustrated after failing to get through to them on the phone or through social media.

Experts warned that those whose accounts had been viewed by others could be at risk of identity theft and called on customers to check their statements urgently.

TSB was last night forced to apologise for the problems, which occurred as a result of a system upgrade that was supposed to have been completed by 6pm on Sunday.

Critics condemned the bank after it refused to confirm how many of its 1.9 million online and mobile customers had been affected.

James Daley, of consumer website Fairer Finance, said: ‘This is the biggest fiasco in terms of banking systems that we’ve ever seen. This should have been done in a controlled way – moving blocks of customers over at one time. But TSB has made a costly mistake in trying to change systems in one fell swoop.’

A message on TSB’s website yesterday said: ‘ Sorry, we’re having some issues with Internet Banking and our mobile app … We’re working hard to fix these as soon as possible.’

TSB said that some customers had been able to see other account holders’ details, but that this problem had been fixed by yesterday morning.

It claimed that it was likely only family members with linked accounts would be able to see each other’s information, but customers reported being able to see the details of total strangers.

Craig Malcolm, from Aberdeen, said he was able to see six accounts held by other customers when he logged into his account in the early hours of Sunday. He said he could see the balance of the accounts, which held up to £20,000, and believed he would have been able to transfer the cash away if he tried to do so.

The 27-year-old said that he tried to ring the bank to alert it to the issue but could not get through. ‘I was shocked and was worried that someone else could get into my account,’ he said.

Ian Williams, 35, found that his savings account with £2,000 in it and current account had disappeared from TSB’s online banking app. He said he too could see a stranger’s accounts and full details of their transactions, including a string of subscriptions for dating sites.

Other customers filled social networking sites with panicked messages, fearing direct debits would not be paid.

Adam Parsons, 39, was wor- ried he would lose thousands if a house purchase failed to go through. The problems at the bank meant that he was unable to transfer £48,000 needed to complete the deal today.

He said: ‘If the sale fails to go through it could have huge implications for my family.

‘TSB is not a little start-up firm. They … should have ironed all this out before they began the upgrade.’

Experts warned that customers could be at risk of fraud if it emerged that strangers had accessed their banking details. Professor Ross Anderson from the University of Cambridge said: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if in time we see people saying that someone was able to log in to their account and succeeded in withdrawing some money. Anyone who banks with TSB should jolly well get a printed statement and check it carefully.’

The problems arose as TSB, owned by Spanish firm Banco Sabadell, moved millions of accounts to a new computer system over the weekend.

TSB had been using a system inherited from its previous owner, Lloyds Banking Group. The move to its own version was expected to save more than £100million a year.

But experts warn that it could now face fines of up to £500,000 if it is found to have broken data protection rules.

The Information Commissioner said it was investigating reports of a potential data breach, and the Financial Conduct Authority – which has the power to fine banks millions of pounds – is also monitoring the situation.

A TSB spokesman said the firm was experiencing technical issues and added: ‘We are really sorry for the inconvenience this is causing our customers and want them to know we are working as hard and as fast as we can to resolve this problem.’

It said issues involving customers seeing others’ details affected only a tiny fraction of accounts and had been fixed.

‘I was shocked and worried’