Over zealous Barclays fraud checks

techno12

Grr now I am getting annoyed with Barclays!

Every time I make a £100+ purchase with my Barclaycard Platinum it's being flagged as a fraudulent transaction 'outside the normal spending pattern'. Happened 3 times this year so far. I mainly use the card for big occasional purchases (for the protection), so there is no real spending pattern, and I keep having to phone them, annoyed as hell, to tell them to stop blocking it!

It was worse tonight as they blocked the card completely after I made 2 purchases online, one in Sweden, one in the US, and I couldn't even see the card details online ("this card is not available").

I understand the need to prevent fraud, but if it's being cancelled/blocked every time I use it then that's just bonkers.

As an aside, I received my new Barclays Visa Debit card this week and that was blocked too as soon as I tried to enter its details into a web subscription service I've used for years!! They just blocked the card! Now this annoys me more as they can see that I've used the site for 7 years, with monthy recurring transactions, so why they blocked it when I went to update my details on the site is beyond me.

Are all banks this inept in their 'fraud' checking?

Mozette

Egg often ring when I go outside my normal spending, but they don't stop my card even if, for example, I'm away and don't get back to them for a couple of days.
I'd not be happy if they did that!

Katye_2

I have had my transactions blocked once by barclaycard, it was to purchase a PAYG phone.. I wasn't happy at the time-
however it was the first time I had bought a phone, and I now know that phone purchases can be the first clue to a CC company there is something not right, if they see a change in your purchasing style.

I rang Barclaycard who unblocked it after I had called them to say I was buying this phone.
My account had regular pattern of what I buy & where and this was a different pattern for me. However I have to say recently it was blocked again, and thank goodness it was as my card had been used in internet fraud to purchase mobile top ups. Apparently, if anyone gets hold of your details there is a pattern of what they do, first they trial your account with usually a small amount maybe an ipod download for £1.. then try a mobile top up, to see if it goes through, they then used it again, to make a donation to a charity for £5.00.etc. it went through so at this point they knew my card hadn't been reported stolen and transactions stopped by me or the Barclaycard.. another top up paid for.. they then tried to book a flight!.. Barclaycard stopped this, and I have just been refunded all monies, first card cancelled, a new one reissued.
So even if it does drive you mad when they do this, for me it was a good job they were monitoring my account. I didn't have any problems getting the money off my card after completing the disclaimer forms.

Paul_Herring

Mozette wrote: »

Egg often ring when I go outside my normal spending, but they don't stop my card even if, for example, I'm away and don't get back to them for a couple of days.
I'd not be happy if they did that!

Egg have blocked once, and rung quite a few times in the years that I've held it.

The block was due to OH booking two holidays on the 2nd card in a short time (< 1 day) (2nd was blocked.)

When they've rung, all but 1 were legitimate transactions (the 'fraudulent' one was a $0.99 charge from iTunes, which neither of us use.)

I wouldn't call Egg over zealous with their fraud checking measures, since every time they've intervened the spending pattern has normally been 'somewhat unusual.'

Can't remember any checking by any other CC providers I've used in the past: Amex (still use,) Halifax, MBNA (and associates - Virgin etc.) CapOne, and probably a few others I've used but cannot remember. (I used to Stooz and sometimes carried on using the cards normally after the 0% expired.)

aeuerby

We've had Halifax ring us twice to check "unusual spending"
The first time was after not using the card for a while as we'd been close to the limit and couldn't! We've since paid it all off and can now use it.
Shortly after we started to use it again they rang and checked about half a dozen of our purchases (all automated)

The second time I was trying to top up my daughters phone and it wouldn't go through. I thought no more of it and went to do a weekly shop, got home to discover we'd been called.
When they rang back they checked the purchases again (including the 1 I'd just made in Asda!) But ironically not the £700 tv I'd bought the previous week?!?!

Then back in July hubby was trying to buy some tyres having also bought my birthday present from USA.
He had to ring Halifax because the payment had been refused for both. They'd blocked the card and he had to explain to the girl who/what paypal are as she asked "Do you buy a lot of things from paypal?"!!!!!

cherie1122

Barclaycard contacted me very quickly when they noticed mobile phone top-ups being charged to my card. It was fraud and they were very quick to spot it.

I've nothing but praise for the way they dealt with it (and my panic) - they were great. Maybe when their computers learn your spending pattern things will be better with their card.

In the meantime - my Barclaycard has been paid off and the account closed because I wasn't happy about the ease that the card had been cloned and used. (I had kept it locked up in a cash box in the house and hadn't used it for nearly a year when the fraudsters hit my account)

normanmark

Better safe than sorry.

Paul_Herring

normanmark wrote: »

Better safe than sorry.

Ah - but when does 'being safe' become 'being a PITA' which is what the OP appears to be experiencing?

normanmark

Paul_Herring wrote: »

Ah - but when does 'being safe' become 'being a PITA' which is what the OP appears to be experiencing?

Its very difficult to appreciate the view from one side point. For all you know he could be doing transactions with a merchant that has been flagged up for fraudulent transactions in the past. I can understand the frustration, but Barclaycard are just protecting their own money.

SuiDreams

Morgan stanley blcked my Purchase of a Lap top from Tesco direct last year, telling me fraudsters were using Tesco Direct at the time.

techno12

Paul_Herring wrote: »

Ah - but when does 'being safe' become 'being a PITA' which is what the OP appears to be experiencing?

Hmm, reading these posts it seems like everyone's given their banks their phone numbers - I think I'll let both Barclays and Barclaycard have my mobile number. I bet they've got my old old number from years ago so that's why they never call...

I've had my current account cleared from £734 to £0.00 in the past due to a dodgy skimmed cashpoint, and Barclays (and the internet merchant who processed the 'transaction') were very good about it (I almost had 2 refunds!)