Online Security

I was recently contacted by Barclay’s fraud department who asked if could ring their team to discuss some transactions that looked suspicious.

I’ve had this before so didn’t really think anything of it – I rang the number they had left and was put through to the team that dealt with these type of issues.

I went through security as is standard practice – date of birth/mother’s maiden name/name a recent direct debit etc. etc. I was then transferred to another guy who asked me to access my on-line banking application on my IPad – he then explained what I needed to do to get a reference number for the fraudulent transactions – he then transferred me to a lady who helpfully explained the refund process and apologised for any inconvenience.

All was well and good in the world of my Barclays account and I was secretly impressed that they were as on the ball as they were.

Roll forward two days and I logged into my on line banking to make some payments and….low and behold ….my various accounts had all been cleared out.

Not only was there nada, no money, not a penny…. in the account…. the overdraft facility had been maxed out as well!

Aaaarrrggggghhhhh

I immediately rang my Barclays premier manager who put me straight onto the fraud department – the real fraud department this time…as it turned out the previous call ….WAS ALL FRAUD …

ALL FRAUD …everything, the holding music the whole set up…the various departments I had talked to (4 different people)…

ALL FRAUD.

Aaaaaarrrrggggghhhh again.

This has understandably rocked me.

Mike Clough is on the ball. Mike Clough is quick witted intelligent …Mike Clough is pretty sharp or so I thought …yet I’d been duped like a good ‘en.

Hook line and sinker. Completely taken in…Completely shafted.

And this, my friends is just the beginning. The last two weeks have been a complete nightmare of cancelled cards, telephone calls with Indian call centres – and multiple requests to go through security – none of these calls have taken less than an hour – and every time I’ve been on hold I’ve been thinking …

HOW DO I KNOW THAT THIS IS REAL….(how do we know anything is real…)

I would go so far as to say the FRAUD companies sound more professional than the guy from Mumbai who insists on calling me Mr. MCLUG …and then asks me for multiple transaction details from my account which I have no access to….and then says…

‘You have failed security’….

Pity then that the scally that cleared £30K out of my account didn’t fail bloody security isn’t it …

Mike C – P***ed off.