A Barclays customer has had his bank charged and has been banned from spending £15,000 on his account
A LOYAL customer who was ‘debanked’ by Barclays was living a ‘nightmare’ after being blocked from £15,000 of his own money.
The British expat opened his account with the major bank in 1965, but moved to France twenty years later.
In 2022, the stunned member was told his account had been closed and his checks had stopped.
He wrote to This is money and said: “I was later told I could no longer keep my account due to the changes in Brexit rules, and the account was closed.
‘My problem is getting the £15,000 I had with Barclays transferred to my French bank – it’s been a nightmare.
“It’s been ten months and my money is still tied up in a ‘holding account’ that I have no access to.”
The frustrated customer told how he had to send Barclays a copy of his British passport, French account details and other forms provided by the bank.
After jumping through endless hoops and making sure all the paperwork was signed off, he claimed that “the money still hasn’t been transferred.”
“I am in my 80s, don’t use the internet and due to my ill health cannot travel to Britain to sort this out,” he added.
The pensioner explained how Barclays’ complaints department called and told him they couldn’t see any bill for him at all.
“This is quite concerning,” he said.
‘Banks are getting lazier’
In response, Helen Crane from This is Money explained how many banks prevent people who do not have a home address in the UK from holding an account with them.
Others allow existing members to keep their accounts but prevent them from opening a new account – or pay a significant fee for doing so.
Helen highlighted that Barclays had given the concerned expat a six-month warning before closing the account by post – which he said he had not received.
The confused customer also claimed he had not had a bank statement from Barclays for six months prior to this warning.
Helen said: “If you had realized about the closure earlier you could have simply transferred the money yourself to your French bank account before the UK account was closed.
“But because you missed that deadline, the process was much more difficult.
“I do feel that banks are becoming lazier when it comes to dealing with customers who prefer to correspond by mail or telephone, rather than doing things online.”
MONEY TRANSFERRED
The consumer champion said older bank members who have problems accessing the internet are particularly vulnerable.
She explained how she contacted Barclays in an attempt to help.
They claimed that the bank did not have his correct phone number despite him calling them several times.
And a Barclays employee had called him from the complaints department on the correct number, which meant they had the right number.
“I had to send them your correct phone number in order to transfer the money, and I’m glad that finally happened at the end of December,” Helen said.
This was ten months after his first attempt to contact Barclays and get his money back.
“If I hadn’t been involved, who knows how long it would have lasted,” she added.
A Barclays spokesperson said: “Our Barclays UK products are designed for customers within the UK. Barclays UK no longer offers personal checking or savings accounts to retail customers who have an address registered with us outside the UK, with limited exceptions.
“Our client was given six months’ notice of this decision in July 2022 ahead of account closure in February 2023, with accompanying information explaining the next steps they needed to take.
“Between April 2023 and July 2023, monthly letters were sent to our client requesting information that would allow the funds to be released.
“Unfortunately, without this information we were unable to complete the claim. Once we were able to speak with our customer, the required information was obtained and the funds were released.”
The Sun asked Barclays for comment.
‘THE BANKS’
More cases like this are coming to light as the big banks are being held accountable.
Debanking gives people or organizations access to their money, often without any warning.
It comes as a woman who had her bank account closed by Barclays without warning said she was unable to access her £47,000 for weeks.
Hayley Grocock said she was almost forced to close her West Yorkshire charity after the bank was written off.
Hayley is the CEO of Wakefield District Sight Aid (WDSA), an organization that provides vital assistance to blind people.
After four weeks, the charity received the money in the form of a check from the banking giant.
Barclays then offered Hayley to reopen the account as they claimed there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, a pensioner has told how he was left penniless after his bank account was closed by Barclays “without warning”.
Clive Sparks, 73, was furious when his family business was thrown into ‘chaos’ after Barclays suddenly announced it was closing the account after 85 years.
Why can a bank block your account?
YOUR bank may decide to dump you simply because you don’t meet the conditions.
For example, when you signed up, you agreed to pay a certain amount every month or to set up multiple direct debits.
In these types of situations, the bank must give you at least 30 days’ notice so that you can take your money elsewhere.
But which? Money editor Jenny Ross says: “Under certain circumstances, banks may close accounts without notice or reason.
“This also applies to suspected fraudulent use of the account.”
Your bank can immediately freeze your account if it detects expenses or large transfers that appear suspicious.
It can prevent money from leaving your account to help protect you if you fear you have fallen victim to fraudsters.
Likewise, if a large amount of money is received, it may be suspected that you are involved in a money laundering operation.
Fraudsters can manipulate customers into becoming so-called money mules.
This means they could be helping crooks move money earned from crime without even knowing it.
Sometimes victims think they are helping a friend or getting paid for a job that seems legitimate.
After your account has been temporarily blocked, the bank will conduct further investigation.
If he is still not satisfied after this, he can close your account permanently.