Barclays didn’t spot fraud

Five months ago I was persuaded to give my bank and card details over the phone to a criminal purporting to be from my bank. The person was doing a good imitation of being genuine and I was under pressure at work.

The criminals transferred £2,370 into Barclays Pingit accounts. I do not bank with Barclays yet these accounts had been opened in my name, or in close variations of it, and gave my parents’ address, which at that time I was using as my home address. The money was then quickly transferred out of these accounts.

I have written to Barclays three times about this. Surely it should have a robust system of checking those setting up accounts?

Shouldn’t its suspicions have been roused by more than one account being opened at the same address with virtually the same name for the account holder?

My own bank has given me some compensation for the way it dealt with the matter after the fraud but takes no responsibility for the theft of my money as I gave my details over the phone. CS, LONDON

On the basis of just a little information a fraudster may be able tease more out of the victim. The kind of ploy might be asking for two digits from a password and then saying “so sorry I asked for the wrong two” getting two more.

This type of strategy enabled the fraudster to gather enough information to access your online account with another bank and the rest followed on from there. It took Barclays six months to come around to actually dealing with your issues.

Further to my involvement Barclays refunded the full amount lost on the basis that it had taken an inordinately long time to look into this.

It said: “We acknowledge that this case was not handled with the care and attention we would expect and have offered Mr S an additional £200 for distress and inconvenience.

Barclays’ name crops up too often in such cases and there are clearly serious issues that it must tackle. less. The sum was increased before a meter reading.

Complaints went unheeded and I could wait up to 20 minutes to be connected to the call centre, which, when I did get through, still did not resolve the situation. PS, LINCS

All this trouble culminated in you giving formal written notice that you would be terminating your contract with Extra Energy which was due to end next year.

You argued it had broken the terms of the contract and you were entitled to go elsewhere without penalty. Extra Energy disagreed.

Only further to my involvement did it pay you £90 which comprises £30 for goodwill and £60 for the two exit fees.