Barclays says ‘name the financial institution’ after fraud alerts see playing cards blocked

Barclays have issued a warning to its customers after one saver was hit by fraud alerts on two of their bank cards. The customer reached out to the bank due to difficulties accessing their money due to fraud warnings.

They were forced to cancel their card due to the alerts but then had more issues. In a message to Barclays over X, they said: “I’ve been sent a replacement but currently waiting on delivery. In the Barclays app, there’s a digital version of the new card but it’s being declined for payments and I’ve received a text of more fraudulent activity on this new card, apparently.

“I can’t reply “N” to the text because the one payment isn’t mine but the others are. What do I do as I need to pay for travel to and from work today? I can’t withdraw cash as I have no card and I can’t use the digital form.” The bank suggested that the customer send them a direct message.

When asked about what customers should do in such situations, a spokesperson advised us: “The general advice on this situation would be to call the bank to speak to an agent to understand why blocks on card(s) are happening and help the customer resolve that.” The bank also said it uses multi-layered security systems, including a unique transaction profiling system for each customer, to combat fraud.

They’ve put in place fraud detection and machine learning systems to spot dodgy payments, and extra checks are made if a transaction looks risky. Customers are urged to do their homework before making any payments to make sure the company or website is legitimate.

If a payment is bounced back straight away, this should ring alarm bells. It could mean the account has been shut down because of suspected fraud.

Barclays also said it will sometimes ask about the reason for a transfer. Customers are advised to give the right reason for the payment. If anyone asks you to give a false reason, they could be a scammer.