Consumer complaint received 2019-04-23
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: CO
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2019, I was a victim of the XXXX/XXXX Card Phishing Fraud Scam. I was scammed into purchasing these cards as a help to XXXX. I immediately called the Barkclays/XXXX XXXX Master Card ( within hours of realizing I was a victim of this Fraud ) and told them to take the charges for these Cards off my credit card, as I was a fraud victim, and they now refuse to do so. 
On the afternoon of XX/XX/XXXX, I was called by XXXX, XXXX. The number calling ( see attachment 1 ) had XXXX logo and its telephone number. I was particularly comfortable answering this call ( as I rarely do an unknown call ) because I have been working with XXXX for a business I have started. This was a very sophisticated impersonation of XXXX as they had a calling center in the background with XXXX representatives answering questions. The woman from XXXX proceeded to tell me my XXXX Devices had been hacked and the worst thing she told me was there was XXXX XXXX on my devices which she of course told me was illegal. This so terrified me because I am a recently divorced single mother who has just opened my own business in order to support myself and my XXXX children and I couldnt imagine the ramifications of having this on my devices to myself and the business even if it was through hackers. The woman then asked about my XXXX computer, and again through an elaborate ruse of trying to have me correct the problem got herself onto my computer by asking to remotely join me on my computer. She convinced me, after letting me watch her actions on my computer, that there was only one way for XXXX to combat these codes that had been put on my computer. That was for XXXX to buy, through me, these cards which had codes on them. She assured me XXXX would reimburse me for any purchase I made for these cards but that these cards with codes on the back had to come from me. I then purchased them from various places using my Barkley credit card. ( see attachment 2 ) After every purchase I received a copy of XXXX reimbursements ( see attachment 3. ) I do not have every copy of the reimbursements because the Sheriff has some. Of course I was not buying anything in my mind-just helping XXXX. 
I then hung up due to my obligations with my children. After talking to my ex-husband he told me I was a victim of fraud and to call XXXX and my credit card which I did. XXXX confirmed this fraud/scam as they have known about it. In addition they told me that the information I received from the XXXX woman like telephone #, home page, XXXX Corporate Address, etc. was stolen from them. ( see attachment 4 ). On XXXX advice I called the Sheriff of my county and they came to my house ( See attachment 5 ) and later rendered their report stating I was a victim of fraud. They confirmed I should call my XXXX Card telling them not to honor those purchases because I was a victim of fraud. I told them I had already called the credit card company and done just that. 
Now my Barkclays/XXXX  Master Card refuses to take {$9000.00} of charges off my card because they say I was not frauded and was a willing participant as well as that they had text messaged me once at XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( see attachment 6 ). In that text they asked me if the charge was valid and I replied it was because I was helping XXXX and was being reimbursed. That text didnt tell me I could be a victim of the XXXX/XXXX Card scam although they well knew about it. This was a card I never used so the buying of that many XXXX Cards should have alerted them to the Card scam in and of itself. They also never asked why I was making such purchases and I believe had they done so, I would have told them about my dealings with XXXX. 
Also attached ( see attachment 7 ) are copies of the correspondence my attorney ( who is luckily for me my father ) sent Master Card. He had to correspond with them twice because they would not talk to him without my Power of Attorney, and claimed after he sent his first Fax that he was not a real attorney as evidenced by the Power of Attorney I signed being allegedly inadequate. Finally, my father   determined that while they had received the two faxes they had never read either. This was confirmed more than once to him including when he last contacted them. On that occasion, which was yesterday, XX/XX/XXXX, they claimed I had no recourse based on the false assertion provided above, and owed them {$9000.00} in card charges. Yesterday I closed my account with them, and I filed with the 3 credit agencies my dispute of these charges. 
I want Master Card to remove these fraudulent charges from my prior account with them. They have a duty to do so because I was a victim of fraud and they should have protected me. 
XXXX XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation