Consumer complaint received 2026-01-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with rewards from credit card
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX XXXX Barclays Bank Delaware Attn : Executive Office/ Legal / Security XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, DE XXXX Re : Executive Escalation Ongoing Account Takeover, Continuing Financial Harm, Repeated Remediation Failures, Record Deletion, and Formal Demand for Preservation of Records XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX ) Dear Executive Office : I am submitting this letter as a formal executive escalation regarding my XXXX XXXX XXXX account issued by Barclays Bank Delaware. This correspondence documents an active and unresolved account takeover that has persisted for several months despite repeated notifications to Barclays and multiple attempted remediation efforts. The situation has resulted in confirmed financial loss, continued unauthorized access after notice, loss of use of earned rewards, and serious concerns regarding internal controls, record integrity, and account governance. 

This letter is intentionally detailed. I am providing a complete chronology and factual record because prior interactions with customer service, the Security Department, and the XXXX Department have failed to contain the unauthorized access or provide durable remediation. The facts outlined below are supported by system-generated alerts, recorded calls ( with disclosure ), and confirmations provided by Barclays representatives XXXX 

I. Account History and Quantified Financial Harm In or around XX/XX/XXXX, my reward point balance associated with my XXXX XXXX XXXX account was approximately XXXX points. I regularly monitor my reward balance and did not authorize or initiate any reward redemptions during this period. 

By XX/XX/XXXX, I observed that my reward point balance had declined to approximately XXXX points. This reduction occurred without my authorization or knowledge. Upon reporting this discrepancy, Barclays initiated an internal review and opened XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX. 

Barclays subsequently confirmed that XXXX reward points had been stolen from my account, with a stated monetary value of {$2400.00}. This confirmation alone establishes a material financial loss. 

Despite this confirmation and my repeated communications with Barclays, an additional unauthorized redemption of approximately XXXX reward points occurred after notice. At no point did I authorize this redemption. As of the date of this letter, the total confirmed stolen reward points approximate XXXX points. 

The continued loss of reward points after notice demonstrates that the underlying account takeover was not contained and that remediation efforts were ineffective. 

XXXX. Nature of the Account Takeover ( Not a Customer Lockout ) It is critical to clarify that this matter does not involve a routine customer lockout or password reset issue. Rather, an unauthorized third party gained and retained control of my account profile, credentials, and recovery mechanisms, while I was displaced from access. 

Barclays did not intentionally lock me out of my account. Instead, the unauthorized party retained functional control while remediation efforts focused primarily on card replacement rather than addressing the underlying account-level compromise. 

XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX Remediation Failures On Monday of the week of XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Barclays to report ongoing unauthorized access and my inability to log into my account. As part of the response, Barclays issued a replacement card. 

I received and activated the replacement card on Tuesday morning. Immediately upon activation, I changed my username, password, and email address to credentials not used elsewhere. Despite these actions, by Tuesday night the account was again compromised. 

A second replacement card was issued. I activated that card on Friday, XX/XX/XXXX. At approximately XXXX XXXX  that same evening, I received a system-generated alert indicating that the phone number associated with my account had been changed without my authorization. 

I attempted to contact Barclays immediately ; however, I encountered excessive hold times, including prior waits exceeding XXXX hours earlier in the week and approximately XXXX minutes earlier that same day. I was unable to remain on hold again. When I attempted to access my account online, I was unable to do so, while alerts confirmed that unauthorized changes were actively occurring. 

Accordingly, XXXX replacement cards issued within the same week were compromised within hours of activation, demonstrating that card reissuance alone did not remediate the underlying account takeover. 

IV. Recordkeeping and Audit-Trail Failures System-generated alerts previously confirmed unauthorized phone number changes on my account. I later learned that my phone number was deleted from the account and that the notes documenting the phone number were also removed. 

Subsequent interactions with customer service resulted in statements that no phone number or notes existed, which directly contradicts prior system-generated alerts. 

The deletion of both the phone number and the associated notes raises serious concerns regarding record integrity, audit-trail preservation, internal controls, and account governance, particularly in the context of an unresolved account takeover. These recordkeeping failures directly impaired my ability to recover and secure my account. 

V. Loss of Use for Time-Sensitive Travel As a direct result of the unresolved account takeover, I was unable to access or use my reward points for a planned international trip to XXXX scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX. 

I specifically requested whether my account could be migrated to a new account or whether an accommodation could be made to allow the purchase of airline tickets with later reconciliation of reward points. I was advised that the account could not be migrated, that I would need to close the account and reapply, and that no accommodation could be provided. 

As a result, despite having accumulated a substantial reward balance, I was deprived of the ability to use my points for time-sensitive travel, creating immediate financial and logistical harm. 

VI. Recorded Calls and Ongoing Issues I preserved a recorded call ( with disclosure ) in which I informed a Barclays representative that I could not access my account and that an unauthorized party appeared to have control. The representative dismissed my report and did not escalate the matter. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with both the Security Department and the XXXX Department. Both confirmed that the calls were being recorded by Barclays. I was advised that new replacement cards must again be issued to both myself and my husband. A manager in the XXXX Department stated she could only submit a request to reinstate the stolen points and could not provide immediate restoration. 

When I attempted to record the call myself, I was informed that I was not permitted to do so. 

VII. Formal Demand for Preservation of Records Given the ongoing unauthorized access and record inconsistencies, I formally demand that Barclays Bank immediately preserve all records and data relating to my account, including but not limited to : Username and login credential changes Email and phone number additions, changes, and deletions Authorized or additional cardholder additions, removals, and access logs Account recovery actions and verification methods Reward point accrual and redemption records Digital wallet enrollment records Call recordings and internal notes Backend audit logs, including any archived or overwritten data Preservation of these records is critical to understanding how unauthorized access persisted and how recovery controls failed. 

VIII. Requested Executive Action I respectfully request the following actions without further delay : Immediate restoration of all stolen reward points, including those stolen after notice Immediate suspension of reward redemptions and profile changes pending full resolution Written confirmation that all unauthorized access has been fully removed Written confirmation that only my husband is listed as an authorized user Completion of a full internal audit of account access, recovery controls, and record deletions A written executive response explaining why unauthorized access, theft, and record deletion continued after notice This letter is sent without waiver of any rights or remedies. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX 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