Consumer complaint received 2021-11-26
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: FL
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: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
Timeline for fraud on Barclays XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX Some weeks before this fraud was committed, perhaps in XXXX, I received a form letter from Barclays that said that a batch of credit cards that had been sent out in the prior months had problems with the new chips embedded in them. Therefore, they would be sending out new cards. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email notice that my new card had been activated. I read it around XXXX XXXX 


I had received no card. When I read the email, I called Barclays. I reached a young woman who did not seem to know what she was supposed to do. She said she understood that had not received the card and wanted to seek advice. She put me on hold. I waited for forty minutes and she never came back ( see screenshot ). I had a meeting and then need to meet family at an art fair. I thought, well, at least I reported it, and they froze it. 


I then received an email that the pin had been changed. I called immediately upon reading it, after arriving home. 


I called again, and reached someone more capable ( I thought ). She confirmed that they had failed to freeze it after I reported that I had not received it. She said the thief had attempted to use the card. I asked if the thief had somehow gotten into my account online and made the charges there. She said, no, this was a physical transaction with a chip and pin card. I said that they must have stolen it from my mailbox, since I had never received it. She said that it was no problemit was outside my usual area and they had flagged it ; she opened a fraud case. I should not be responsible for the charges. We spoke at XXXX for about 11 minutes ( see screenshot ). She said she would cancel the card and send me a new one. I received the new one a few days later and activated it. 

That night, I filed a report with the post office that the card had been stolen, I assumed from the mailbox. 


I received a note that the report had been received. 


I have heard nothing further from the Post Office. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received two letters from Barclays, both posted XX/XX/XXXX. 

One said I had been found not responsible for the charges, and the other said that I was responsible for them and have charged them to the new accountwhich did not exist when the charges were made. I checked my account and found that not only had they charged the thefts to me, but also they had charged late fees. I called on XX/XX/XXXX at about 2. I admit, I was not particularly nice, which I regret. I demanded to know what was going on. The man I spoke to said the card had never been reported as stolen and I must be responsible because the chip and pin can not be faked. I reiterated the original conversation and said I had been quite clear the card was stolen. He said it was marked missing. I was furious. He said he would reopen it as a fraud investigation and told me to fax (! ) or snail-mail my document showing I had reported it to the post office, etc. I then called XXXX to file a police report. They have assigned the report number as XXXX. 

XXXX said I would have to also file in XXXXthe postal theft was in XXXX jurisdiction, but the fraudulent use was in XXXX. I called on Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX PD refused to file the report ; they said it had to come from XXXX I called XXXX who advised me to wait until their report posted and then we could forward to XXXX. 

I also spent quite a bit of time online updating Barclays information. Then, I received a notice that my phone number for the account had changed. 

I had not changed the phone number, but I might have confirmed it. I also noticed the amount was still showing as fully owing. I called Barclays AGAIN at noon Tuesday the XXXX. I reached the fraud investigation unit, who told me that the person I talked to the day before had never reopened it as a fraud claim. I said, you mean, he lied to me? The man I spoke to said yes. I reported AGAINthat the fraud case needed to be reopened. I said I wanted to talk to a supervisor. He said he would put in a request for one to call, but it might be several days. He then said I needed to talk to securitywhich is oddly, a different unit than fraudabout the phone number issue. 
At security the person I talked to was genuinely helpful. She said the phone number had not been changed, but she thought ( perhaps ) someone had tried to? She said she would escalate the prior request for a supervisor callback, so I could talk to a supervisor sooner ( the prior person had indeed made the request ). She added a verbal password to my account. Finally, I asked to her freeze the card. She said she did. 
My XXXX timeline shows I was in XXXX all day on the XXXX. I worked from home, and then went to an appointment with family within XXXX. 

Likewise, the day before and after, I was in XXXX, working from home. But the card was used physically in XXXX -- at least a XXXX hour drive agway -- on the XXXX. I could not physically have been in XXXX and in fact have not been in XXXX for some years. My XXXX timeline confirms this. 

The two transactions were at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The first was for XXXX and the second was for XXXX at the same addressan address that shows up on XXXX as a mall. The Merchant Category is Financial Institution. These were taken as cash withdrawals. If they were taken from an ATM, perhaps there would be pictures? The only financial institution I see at that address is a XXXX XXXX, but I suppose it might have taken place at an ATM? It seems very odd that the statement lists only the address, the business type, and not the name. 

I would also like all of the recordings from my interactions with Barclays. 

I am beginning to wonder if there is a larger scale fraud issue here. A large number of cards are to be reissued because of chip problemsproblems which I did not have with my card, incidentally -- and somehow a thief just happens to pick it up out of my mailbox on the day it arrives? Seems oddas does Barclays handling of the problem subsequently. Maybe the card was stolen before it ever reached my mailbox? Maybe more than one was taken? I would be interested to know when this tranche of cards was printed, was shipped, and from where, through what relay points. I would also be interested to know if any other cards in that batch turn up in fraud cases. 

Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX, I received a call from Barclays. I was hopeful that it was the supervisor getting back to me. When I answered, it was an automated notice that my account was past due.

With interest and now late payment fees, Barclays is now dunning me for XXXX. I would like that debt wiped out. I would also like an apology and an investigation into how this was handled so badly. Barclays has wasted an enormous amount of my time.

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 monetary relief