Barclays has issued a warning about scams after the alarm was raised by a person who received a suspicious call allegedly from the bank. The person, who is not a Barclays customer, got in touch with the group overX to report a call “claiming to be yourselves”, with the caller alleging there were “fraudulent transactions on the account”.

Barclays commended the individual for doing the right thing by reporting the incident and advised: “Sometimes scammers will impersonate the bank in an attempt to gain information from people and we’d always advise not to reply to any messages from them if you haven’t already.”

The person clarified: “It was a phone call claiming to be from yourselves. I didn’t provide any personal information.” Barclays also informed the individual: “There is also an option to report any fraud or scams to us if you wish to do so.

“If you’re ever unsure of a person, phone call or message you receive, you can pop it over to us here and we’ll be happy to check it out.” They provided a link to a webpage on the Barclays website with information about scams.

The bank advises online: “If you receive an unexpected call and you’re not sure it’s from us, end the call. Then call us back from a different phone, or call a friend to make sure the scammers aren’t still on the line.”

Should you get a suspicious phone call claiming to be from your bank and you are unsure, you can hang up and dial 159, which will securely connect you to your bank, if they are signed up to the service.

These banks are currently signed up to the service:

  • Bank of Scotland
  • Barclays
  • Co-operative Bank
  • Chase
  • First Direct
  • Halifax
  • HSBC
  • Lloyds Bank
  • Metro Bank
  • Modulr Finance
  • Monzo
  • Nationwide Building Society
  • NatWest
  • Revolut
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Santander
  • Starling
  • Tide
  • TSB
  • Ulster Bank.