Banks are supposed to refund customers immediately – unless they suspect wrongdoing – but they don’t always get it right.
Between April 2015 and February 2017, the Financial Ombudsman Service resolved 5,800 complaints relating to fraud and disputed transactions, and upheld 28 per cent of them in favour of customers.
An investigation by Which? has today revealed that Barclays has the worst record for handling fraud-related complaints.
Even the best of banks that the consumer group looked at, TSB, had unfairly rejected one in five claims.
The research only looked at banks with more than 100 resolves cases.
The cases relate to credit and debit card fraud, including misplaced transactions, missing payments, ATM disputes and incorrect debits taken by shops.
Harry Rose, money expert at Which? Said: “Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated and only need a few hours to potentially empty someone’s bank account.
“Banks will always be a target for criminals and they have a duty to spot and respond to new threats.
“Most are working hard to combat card fraud, but we still hear from those who say their bank made them feel like a criminal, not a victim.”
A Barclays spokesperson said: “We’re working hard to tackle the root causes of complaints and get it right for our customers first time.
“We know from this survey as well as wider independent data that we’re making progress, but there is still more to do as these figures show.
“We will continue to take the action required to deliver the best experience possible for our customers.”
If you’ve been the victim of credit or debit card fraud, acting quickly is essential.
The Which? website has free guides that explain what you should do and how to get help.
If your card provider won’t refund your money then you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
You can fill in a form online and submit your claim. It will consider your circumstances and make a decision.
A spokesman from the Financial Ombudsman Services said: “Regardless of the type of scam – or the amount of money that’s been lost – the ordeal of being scammed may be distressing, and even life-changing.
“From our conversations with financial businesses, we know that protecting customers is high on their agenda. And it makes sense that part of the solution will be ensuring that technology and other safeguards keep one step ahead of the scammers.”
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