Consumer complaint received 2022-01-14
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE (NY)

This company allowed fraudulent transactions on my account and is unwilling to try to resolve this with me any further. On XX/XX/XXXX I was notified via voicemail of suspicious activity. I called customer service that day and was advised to call the fraud department the following day during business hours. On XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with the fraud department and disputed all charges made on and after XX/XX/XXXX as my last authorized purchase was on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I am the main cardholder and there is a second authorized user. I was asked if my card had been out of my possession at any time and I informed that neither I nor the other user have taken this card out of the home and no one has access to them. After speaking with the fraud department I went online and updated my alerts and account preferences, only to see that my account profile showed two cards ending with the same last four digit on the existing cards had been activated on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I called the fraud department back to ask why we cards were issued and why I was not notified, and was given a vague answer about how new cards are issued after a security breach. All of the fraudulent activity started the day after these new cards were activated and I pointed all of this out to the fraud department. They stated that an investigation would be initiated and that I would not be responsible for deputed charges in the meantime. 

I received a replacement card or myself a few days later but had to call again to ask about the card for the additional user. Though I had bee in touch with the fraud department many times at this point about both cards, I was told that I had only reported one card. This was untrue and did not make sense as the charges were on both cards for almost the same amount at the same stores on the same day. It should also have been suspicious to them as I used this card for one utility bill at less than $ XXXX/month and always paid the balance in full. The second card for the additional user was replaced and both cards were activated by me on XX/XX/XXXX. 

A few weeks later I received a letter in the mail dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that the investigation was closed and I am not responsible for the disputed charges. Most of the charges had been reversed and there was still a remaining balance of {$20.00} even though all of my authorized transactions had been paid in full. I checked my account again on XX/XX/XXXX to see that about half of the charges had been reinstated. When I called the fraud department again I had been informed that this was because they determined that some the charges were legitimate because I reported that my card was never out of my possession. I informed them again that the original cards were, but not the new cards that were reissued and activated without my knowledge. I was then told that there is nothing further that can be done to help me as the purchases were made in person with a chip card. When I asked about a signature being required by the buyer for such large purchases, and the fact that I was not present at those stores I was asked if I could possibly prove my whereabouts on the days in question. 

Though I have been communicating by phone with them for 2 months about this, I wanted to also send a dispute letter by fax ad mail. I faxed a formal letter and included my statements with disputed transactions highlighted. I am also mailing these same documents on XX/XX/XXXX. I will contact the FTC regarding this.