Just received a text telling me my Barclaycard account is overdue and i shouldn't use the card. The phone is new and only the family know the number.

The number, 0870 366 5390, is not listed in the search and does not match Billycard's entry in the main section.

Is this a scam number?

See also thread for Mercers Debt Collectors Ltd here

~ Edited by Dave: Thread title amended

There's a number in the database of 0870 366 5389, one digit away which gives 0151 473 2528, could be worth a try.

Hello Postman; welcome to the site.

From what you report it would appear yes.

Please report it to Barclaycard using the appropriate number from this site, prefixing your call with 141. If it is a scam then Barclaycard really are the people to chase it.

Please let us know how you get on.

Someone else has had similar

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=233825

I am pretty sure it is a scam. I rang the number, it answers with BARCLAYCARD NEW AUTOMATED SERVICE and goes on to ask for the 16 digit card number starting with 4929 or 5301.

It may be of interest that the provider of 0870 366 .... numbers is Cable & Wireless.

Your phone number may be new to you and your family but is known to your service provider and numbers can also be randomly generated by the scammers.

This is very much in line with scam emails asking to "verify" or "confirm" account details on line.

Report it to Barclays without delay, as suggested by Tanllan.

I wouldn't have any particular inclination to report any possible fraud to Barclaycard - a widespread abuser of 0870 numbers which I consider to be fraud in itself. Just look at its 'contact us' page on its website to see the multiple 0870 numbers in use.

Many thanks for the prompt replies. I won't be reporting this to Billycard - I had already checked this site and know how much they like to use 0870 numbers. I might report it to a friendly trading standards officer though. In that way Barclaycard and others might actually do something about it.

Quote:

I wouldn't have any particular inclination to report any possible fraud to Barclaycard

Keep in mind that although banks normally foot the bill for fraudulent transactions the customer may be considered responsible if he/she acted negligently. Therefore reporting this particular fraud, if it was indeed fraud, would be in the interest of the customer.

Giving security information to a caller who claims to be from a bank but whose identity cannot be verified could in my view be described as negligence.

I recently had an attempted fraud on my credit card.  The bank (NatWest) called and asked me to call them back on the number shown on the back of the card and only then did I have to give security details. By the way, on the back of the card both an 0870 and a geographic number (in the international format) are given and I obviously called the geographic number.

crabtree wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2007 at 8:03pm:

There's a number in the database of 0870 366 5389, one digit away which gives 0151 473 2528, could be worth a try.

This 0151 is also in the unverified database as being for Mercers Debt Collections Ltd.

Called Barclaycard today to discuss the matter with them - they "didn't think" it was them but they admitted to having an automated reminder service. To be honest they weren't arsed if this number was fraudulent or not. Are they making so much money they could afford to lose a bit.

Anyway later today a couple of missed calls were noted on the mobile. When the number - 0845 300 7027 - showed up again I answered and a bird asked for a name I didn't recognise. I asked who she was and she gave me a name like Miss Something. I asked who she represented and she hesitated before asking me if I was this other name. She eventually said she was from Barclaycard but would not give a proper landline number or a mailing address.

After satisfying herself I was not the woman she was after she agreed the number will be deleted from their systems.

Perhaps another reason to use the Nationwide cards, aside from Nationwide's not taking the iniquitous 2.75% for foreign currency transactions.

Dave wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2007 at 2:21pm:

crabtree wrote on Aug 2nd, 2007 at 8:03pm: There's a number in the database of 0870 366 5389, one digit away which gives 0151 473 2528, could be worth a try. This 0151 is also in the unverified database as being for Mercers Debt Collections Ltd.

I am in the process of making a debt map, and Barclaycard is linked to Mercers.