A LOYAL customer ‘debanked’ by Barclays was living in 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 two decades later.

A man was shocked after Barclays blocked him from accessing £15,000

1

A man was shocked after Barclays blocked him from accessing £15,000Credit: Getty

In 2022, the baffled member was told his account had been closed and his cheques were stopped.

He wrote to This is Money and said: “I was later told I could no longer keep my account due to the Brexit rule changes, and the account was closed. 

“My problem is getting the £15,000 I held with Barclays transferred to my French bank – it has been a nightmare. 

“It’s been 10 months and my money is still stuck in a ‘holding account’ which I can’t access.”

The frustrated customer told how he was required to send Barclays a copy of his UK passport, French account details and other forms the bank provided.

After jumping through endless hoops and making sure all the paperwork was signed off, he claimed “the money has still not been transferred”.

“I’m in my eighties, don’t use the internet and can’t travel to the UK to sort this out due to my ill health,” he added.

The pensioner explained how the Barclays complaints department called and informed him they couldn’t see an account for him at all.

Most read in Money

“This is quite concerning,” he said.

‘It’s shameless’, cry Barclays customers facing 50-mile trek to nearest branch as bank closes only Suffolk outlet

‘Banks are getting lazier’

In response, Helen Crane from This is Money explained how many banks are preventing people who don’t have UK home addresses holding accounts with them.

Others are allowing existing members to keep their account but preventing them from opening new ones – or paying a substantial fee to do so.

Helen highlighted that Barclays had issued the concerned expat a six-month warning before closing the account via post – which he said he didn’t receive.

The confused customer also claimed not to have had a bank statement from Barclays for six months prior to this warning.

Helen said: “If you had realised about the closure earlier, you could have simply transferred the funds yourself to your French bank account before the UK account was shut down. 

“But as you had missed that deadline, the process was much trickier.

“I do feel that banks are getting lazier when it comes to dealing with customers who prefer to correspond by post or phone, instead of doing things online.”

MONEY TRANSFERRED

The consumer champion spoke of how elderly banking members who have trouble accessing the internet are particularly vulnerable.

She explained how she got in touch with Barclays in a bid to help.

They claimed the bank did not have the correct phone number for him on file – despite him calling them on several occasions.

And, a Barclays employee had phoned him from the complaints department on the correct number which meant they had the right one.

“I had to send them your correct phone number in order to get the money transferred, which I am pleased to say was finally done in late December,” said Helen.

This was 10 months after his initial attempt to contact Barclays and get his money back.

“If I hadn’t got involved, who knows how long it may have taken,” she added.

A Barclays spokesman said: “Our Barclays UK products are designed for customers within the UK. Barclays UK is no longer offering personal current or savings accounts to retail customers who have an address registered with us outside of the UK, with limited exceptions. 

“Our customer was given six month’s notice in July 2022 of this decision before account closure took place in February 2023, with accompanying information explaining the next steps they needed to take.

“Letters were sent monthly between April 2023 and July 2023 to our customer 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 to our customer the required information was obtained and the funds released.”

The Sun reached out to Barclays for comment.

‘DEBANKING’

More cases like this are coming to light as major banks are being held accountable.

Debanking is when people or organisations have access to their money taken away, often with little warning.

It comes as a woman who had her bank account closed by Barclays without any warning said she couldn’t access her £47,000 for weeks.

Hayley Grocock said she was almost forced to shut her charity in West Yorkshire, after being debanked.

Hayley is the chief executive of Wakefield District Sight Aid (WDSA), an organisation providing vital help to blind people.

After four weeks, the charity received the cash in the form of a cheque from banking giant. 

Barclays then offered Hayley to reopen the account as they claimed there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

Meanwhile, a pensioner has told how he was left with no money after his bank account was closed “without warning” by Barclays.

Clive Sparks, 73, was furious when his family business was thrown into ‘chaos’ after Barclays suddenly announced it was to close the account after 85 years.

Why could a bank block your account

YOUR bank could decide to dump you simply because you don’t meet its terms and conditions.

For example, when you signed up you might have agreed to pay in a certain amount each month or to set up several direct debits.

In this type of situation, the bank would need to give you at least 30 days’ notice so you can move your money elsewhere.

But, Which? Money editor Jenny Ross says: “Under some circumstances, banks are allowed to close accounts without notice and without providing a reason.

“This includes suspected fraudulent use of the account.”

Your bank could put an immediate freeze on your account if it sees spending or large transfers in or out that seem suspicious.

It might block money from leaving your account to help protect you if it’s worried that you’ve fallen victim to fraudsters.

Similarly, if a large amount of money is received, it might suspect you’ve been caught up in a money-laundering operation.

Fraudsters can manipulate customers into becoming so-called money mules.

This means that they might be helping crooks to move around cash earned from crime without even knowing it.

Sometimes victims believe they are helping out a friend or that they are being paid for a job that seems legitimate.

After putting a temporary freeze on your account, the bank will then investigate more thoroughly.

If it’s still not satisfied after this, it can permanently close your account.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

You May Also Like

Six fun and free courses to boost your career prospects

LEARNING something new can be a gateway to earning more at work…

Natural seagrass and sisal top choice for homeowners seeking rustic, elegant interiors

When fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger renovated his villa on the Caribbean island…

Inflation hits 9.4% as food and petrol prices soar – what it means for your finances

INFLATION has jumped once more to a high of 9.4% as household…

Is Vinted’s app down in the UK?

VINTED users are taking to social media to find out why they…