Barclays Chairman Suffers ID Fraud
A fraudster posing as the Barclays Chairman Marcus Agius stole ú10,000 (US$20,000) from the British bank after tricking staff into sending out a credit card in the executive's name.
It is believed that the thief, working alone or as part of a gang, used the Internet to find out details concerning Agius, such as his date of birth and address. The thief then contacted Barclaycard, BarclaysÆ credit card arm, and requested that a new card be sent out. Armed with the information and the card, the fraudster entered a branch of Barclays and walked away with ú10,000 of Agius's cash. A Barclaycard spokesman blamed the incident on human error, saying procedures were not fully followed. "This is an ongoing battle with professional fraudsters,ö the spokesman said. Barclaycard has since reimbursed the chairman, and the fraud has prompted a review of procedures at the bank and the implementation of new security checks for senior executives. ôCredit card fraud is an issue which our industry continues to confront,ö Agius said. "Barclays is resolved to do everything possible on behalf of our customers to minimize its impact." The Barclays spokesperson said that all customers, from the chairman downwards, are protected by a 100 percent fraud guarantee as long as they take responsible care of their information. In the first six months of 2007, criminals stole ú263.6 million in the UK through card crime, according to UK payments association APACS. Related Links
Barclays boss Agius ID victim at his own bank
www.apacs.org.uk
www.barclays.co.uk
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