Spam Phone Calls

Valentina_20

I got this same call but it was a machine - i then went straight to barclays and they said it would be the Fraud team because basically i tried booking a flight last night and had entered my details etc (as you would do when paying online) and after, the site told me that their flights were sold out - i tried another and it said sold out again! (after my details were entered) so i thought it was abit strange having put my bank details in and then for it to be sold out. I then got a call from that +0845 number this morning. i went straight to the bank and they kindly suggested i block my card - in case the website takes money out which would show on my statement in a few days.

the number calls due to a larger than average sum used to purchase.

in the end i feel reassured - i'd rather block my card and recieve a new one than to notice money being debited out my account when it didnt go through! big pheww

StefanoDN

I can confirm that +8453512291 is a genuine number from Barclays.
They won't ask you for any of your details (apart from your date of birth, to find out if it is actually you speaking), just to confirm that you have effected the payments that they will list individually. I had spent a relavant amount money the day before they called me, and I guess that's why they did.
I didn't pick up the first time, but they rang me back after about one hour.

Nosmig

Yes, it is a Barclays number (Bank not Barclaycard) but they don't make it easy for you to trust the automated call - sounding just like "PPI claim" or "£5000 for your pension" etc - especially when you are asked to press 5 or whatever.

They called me 5 times - twice yesterday evening and three times this morning - and in the end I got so fed up I called the Barclays Fraud team number (from the web site) who confirmed that 'no suspicious activity' had been observed.

I did suggest that they consider changing the way that calls were made so that they didn't sound like a scam - but no doubt, scammer would copy that too.

How/when will we be able to get rid of nuisance calls - or at least sort the good from the bad??

olivia22_2

According to my recent experience this is a genuine Barclays' communication, although I was originally very wary.

The call came on our landline - it was a computerised voice, saying my son's name and saying it was from Barclays' Fraud Detection and to press any button to continue. I was extremely suspicious (especially about the ' press any key to continue instruction') and hesitated. The call then cut itself off.

I was able to 1471 to get the number.

My son is away working at the moment, so I looked for the number on the Barclays' website. I could not find it in the long list of contact numbers , so called Barclays on the nearest relevant number which was the one to report a suspected fraud. I used a mobile to do this call - I was pretty sure the landline call was properly disconnected (there are scams that use that loophole of non-disconnection) but I wanted to be absolutely sure I was talking to Barclays !

After clarifying with the call centre that I was not trying to get information on my son's account, but just verify the telephone number, the call centre assistant took some time, then came back and said he was going to refer to a supervisor.

When he came back, he said it was a Barclays fraud number and that my son should contact the bank.

I had left a message with my son saying to contact home re the bank urgently (worrying that maybe his cards and phone had been stolen so now I was messaging the criminal:( ). Fortunately, my son did reply and said he thought he knew what it was - not a fraud, but a mistake when he was trying to buy a travel ticket online for someone else. The purchase had been blocked. He contacted the bank on his normal telephone banking number and it is now sorted out.

We were both impressed that the bank's processes had sensitivity to what could easily have been a fraud. Calling the home landline number they had on file rather than a mobile also makes sense re my thoughts about a phone possibly being stolen at the same time as cards.

On the other hand, I think the 'press a number to continue' instruction does set up major concerns and I am sure people think it is a scam (I did) and then vital alerts are ignored because of this.

I believe I followed a safe procedure for this sort of call - not proceeding or calling back on the incoming number , but verifying it independently by contacting the bank through a number that I knew to be genuine.

I thought I would post on here as I was googling the number whilst the Barclays operator was referring to a supervisor and this thread came up.

willy_eckerslyke_2

Had today (Sunday) an automated tel.call purporting to be from Barclays Bank, reporting possible irregular use of my account.
Message prompted for me to give my Date of Birth, to 'confirm' my ID. I rang off, and phoned Barlays directly (tel no on back of credit card). Interestingly Cust Services neither denied nor confirmed that the 0845 351 2291 WAS their number, but were concerned about an on-line transaction for £2.42 at 02.30 UK time today, for 'Ideal Clothing' in the USA. NOT mine! Barclays have locked my account, pending posting a new Credit Card being posted to me, and have advised me to change my PIN number.
So . . . fraud HAS taken place - luckily a tiny amount (maybe just a taster before hitting hard?). Moral . . . if you get any call/text/email re; your accounts, give no details, but call your bank directly on a trusted number.

petrie

0845 3512291 is definitely Barclays Fraud desk. My daughter went into her branch after receiving dozens of phone calls and a text. She replied to the text as she has had these from Barclays before whilst abroad but they took no notice of it this time. The Barclays staff at her branch denied any knowledge of this number and said it wasn't them. She said that she wanted to speak to their fraud dept. The fraud dept also said it wasn't them as they had checked her accounts. She luckily then asked them to check if there was a block on any of her cards and when they did this they found there was!! She spent 1/2 hour in the branch fighting her case and Barclays denying that this was their number.