Over-zealous security checks by Barclaycard?

littlerock

I have a Barclays bank account with a Barclaycard and a Barclays debit card. I have had all of these for ever. The cards are enrolled into Verified by Visa. I am a long standing Barclays customer with a healthy balance in my current account plus various savings accounts and no debts. My Barclaycard is linked to a Paypal account, and to my Amazon account. I use both all the time (I buy several ebooks for my Kindle each month for a start). Yet I am increasingly subject to security checks by Barclays.

Earlier this year I purchased airline tickets and seats online (which I do twice a year) to visit my son in New York. The seats portion of the booking was blocked by Barclays fraud team "for security reasons" (not the tickets just the seats!). I had to phone the Fraud team in order to get them reinstated. Once a month I get a text from Barclays asking me to phone and verify that the latest purchase on my Paypal account is actually mine. Today I tried to book 2 cinema tickets online and the booking was blocked with a message saying as I had not made an in person purchase with my Barclaycard for the last 30 days, it had been blocked. I had to phone the Fraud team again to get the card unblocked.

I have not lost my cards, they remain in my possession and I have not noticed any suspicious activity on my accounts. So I asked the Fraud team why my card has been blocked. They assured me I had a good credit record and told me that they could see it had been blocked when I tried to purchase two cinema tickets online. However this was in line with their current security checks because I had not made an in person purchase with it for a month.

I appreciate they need to do some random security checks but my account seems to keep coming up. OH has a Lloyds account and gets none of this. Anyone else got this problem with Barclays?

grumbler

If you have the cards in your possession, this doesn't mean that the card details are safe as you keep entering them in you computer for online purchases.
It's understandable that Barclays want to protect themselves as ultimately it's they who suffer from unauthorised transactions, not you. Better to be safe than sorry.

I guess cinema tickets and airline tickets are among the most common fraudulent purchases as they aren't delivered to any physical address.

MSE news: MPs demand answers from banks on 'understated' fraud figures

littlerock

actually I don't keep entering my details as both Paypal and Amazon, which I use for most online purchases, are automatically linked to my Barclaycard so no numbers entered. And I buy Odeon tix every 6weeks or so so nothing unusual there either.

sevendials

In my experience Barclaycard are a difficult credit card company too deal with. Since I have moved too using American Express I haven't had a single issue. Whereas Barclaycard left me regulary not being able too purchase train tickets (due too suspected fraud) which was a very normal purchase activity for my account.

I left Barclaycard and have been far happier without them

g6jns_2

littlerock wrote: »

I have a Barclays bank account with a Barclaycard and a Barclays debit card. I have had all of these for ever. The cards are enrolled into Verified by Visa. I am a long standing Barclays customer with a healthy balance in my current account plus various savings accounts and no debts. My Barclaycard is linked to a Paypal account, and to my Amazon account. I use both all the time (I buy several ebooks for my Kindle each month for a start). Yet I am increasingly subject to security checks by Barclays.

Earlier this year I purchased airline tickets and seats online (which I do twice a year) to visit my son in New York. The seats portion of the booking was blocked by Barclays fraud team "for security reasons" (not the tickets just the seats!). I had to phone the Fraud team in order to get them reinstated. Once a month I get a text from Barclays asking me to phone and verify that the latest purchase on my Paypal account is actually mine. Today I tried to book 2 cinema tickets online and the booking was blocked with a message saying as I had not made an in person purchase with my Barclaycard for the last 30 days, it had been blocked. I had to phone the Fraud team again to get the card unblocked.

I have not lost my cards, they remain in my possession and I have not noticed any suspicious activity on my accounts. So I asked the Fraud team why my card has been blocked. They assured me I had a good credit record and told me that they could see it had been blocked when I tried to purchase two cinema tickets online. However this was in line with their current security checks because I had not made an in person purchase with it for a month.

I appreciate they need to do some random security checks but my account seems to keep coming up. OH has a Lloyds account and gets none of this. Anyone else got this problem with Barclays?

Which would you rather have good security or be at risk of fraud. Sadly it is a sign of the times. The problem is Barclaycard don't contact you and tell you. I have had one lot of compensation for this and another is under consideration. Speak to their complaints department.

BobQ

g6jns wrote: »

Which would you rather have good security or be at risk of fraud. Sadly it is a sign of the times. The problem is Barclaycard don't contact you and tell you. I have had one lot of compensation for this and another is under consideration. Speak to their complaints department.

I am not a Barclay's customer, but on the general point I could not agree more.

OP needs to understand that it is price you have to pay for the convenience of doing online transactions, low cost banking through remote call centres and telephone purchases. It is frustrating but done for the customer's protection. Relaxing the security will only make the customer more vulnerable to fraud, and of course the bank.

But I do think that if an organisation has a rule that requires you to use a card in person in the past 30 days they ought to tell the customer. But hey, maybe they did, I do not read everything my bank sends me so I suspect I am not alone.

DaveTheMus

I would take out another card and cancel the Barclays card...there are other banks out there that aren't as restrictive.

littlerock

No Barclays never told me that I had to use the card in person at least once a month. In fact I queried that with the Fraud team and said if that was the case I would need to register with another bank and get another card. Then they said it was it was because it was a new card not used before, rubbish I have been using it since it was issued 2 years ago and regularly make online payments with it. Then they said the "anti-fraud" rules are constantly being modified and there is no consistent set.

Barclays don't actually tell you very much at all. When I bought my airline tickets and seats online earlier this year, the transactions all appeared to go through ok. It was only when the seat reservations were not confirmed and I phoned United Airlines to check why, they said Barclays had blocked the payment (not the flights just the seats.) I then contacted Barclays who said that I needed to speak to the Fraud team and a very snotty womam said yes the seat reservations had been blocked (not the actual tickets) and she did not have to give a reason but as a special favour she would remove the block and I could try again in 3 hours! (I go to NY twice a year to see my son, same time every year).

Since then as I said I get monthly texts asking me to confirm trivial Paypal amounts.

I asked the Fraud guy today if there had been some suspicious activity on my account and he said none and my credit was excellent. I accept the need for security but it seems my name is coming up very often. My OH does not get this on his Lloyds card. How many of the readers of this get the same level of checking on their Barclays account? (Should just say I am UK citizen born here and have no criminal record and excellent credit history.)

DaveTheMus

I got it once many years ago....if I was in your position I'd have cancelled with them last month

[Deleted User]

I had the same problem OP with my Hilton HHonors Barclaycard. Whenever I made multiple purchases it would get blocked, i.e. fairly regularly. Their system is very sensitive to people with irregular spending patterns.

Earlier this year I did complain but was told there is nothing they can do. I have since closed that card and no longer use Barclaycard for purchases, just balance transfers.

Very occasionally I will get a text message from Halifax saying my Halifax card is blocked but I can just text back "Yes" and it gets unblocked. Much easier!

chattychappy

sevendials wrote: »

Whereas Barclaycard left me regulary not being able too purchase train tickets (due too suspected fraud) which was a very normal purchase activity for my account.

I left Barclaycard and have been far happier without them

Funny you say that, but it was often train ticket purchases (especially Eurostar) that got my Barclaycard blocked.

BobQ wrote: »

I am not a Barclay's customer, but on the general point I could not agree more.

OP needs to understand that it is price you have to pay for the convenience of doing online transactions, low cost banking through remote call centres and telephone purchases. It is frustrating but done for the customer's protection. Relaxing the security will only make the customer more vulnerable to fraud, and of course the bank.

But I do think that if an organisation has a rule that requires you to use a card in person in the past 30 days they ought to tell the customer. But hey, maybe they did, I do not read everything my bank sends me so I suspect I am not alone.

(my emphasis)

Agree with the gist, but of course it is always the bank (or a merchant) that legally is on the hook for fraud*. Banks love to imply that stuff is done for customer protection, because people will take more care if they think they could be held liable if things go wrong. Having said that, when there is fraud it can be still alot of hassle for the customer. There are occasions when the customer does end up being a victim because they don't notice fraudulent transactions or they are not believed and don't follow up.

(*unless the customer is involved in the fraud.)