It took 20 minutes for £1.6m to vanish from my bank account – I asked Barclays for help but it was ‘case closed’
A MAN says it took just 20 minutes for £1.6million to vanish from his bank account – claiming he asked Barclays for help but it was “case closed”.
Steve Wright’s business Kent Brushes was targeted by fraudsters in July last year.
Founded in 1777, the Hertfordshire firm supplies hairbrushes to the royal family.
An employee was tricked into thinking the firm’s money was at risk – and gave fraudsters access to its Barclays bank account.
The criminals then stole £1.6million through dozens of fraudulent transactions in under 20 minutes.
Steve told BBC Radio 4: “My stomach dropped. My initial thought was, ‘this must be a mistake’.”
The businessman went to local cops, who referred him to the Action Fraud hub in London.
But months later, the investigation has stalled and Steve is yet to get his money back.
In October, Steve said: “It’s been handled appallingly. The response from the bank – they don’t care.
“The response from Action Fraud… well there hasn’t been one.”
Just one month after the cyber-theft, Action Fraud told Steve it was “case closed”.
The force admitted recording the details of the crime incorrectly – and has now made sure this will not happen again.
Barclays said it was “evident” that the firm had fallen prey to a sophisticated scam.
The bank added: “A great deal of fraud awareness and education information has been provided to Kent Brushes to help them protect themselves from scams, including this scam in particular,
“This case has been thoroughly investigated at the highest levels.
“Our decision remains unchanged that the business customer will be held liable.”