Not upheld: unauthorised transactions / disputed payments complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr C complained that Barclays refused to refund five disputed transactions totalling £6,049.99 made on 8 June 2025 to individuals he did not recognise. Barclays and the ombudsman's investigator relied on technical evidence showing the transactions were executed using Mr C's registered mobile device through authenticated mobile banking. The ombudsman found Mr C's claim of being on holiday was contradicted by mobile banking logs showing continued app usage, and noted earlier similar transactions to the same payee that were later re-credited. Although the ombudsman suspected Mr C may have been a scam victim, Mr C denied this and refused to provide further information. The complaint was not upheld as the technical evidence indicated Mr C most likely authorised the transactions himself.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the balance of probabilities standard and found the technical evidence compelling. The mobile banking logs showed Mr C actively using his app throughout the disputed period, contradicting his claim of being on holiday. The presence of earlier similar transactions to the same payee that were later re-credited, combined with the substantial account balance and lack of evidence of third-party access, suggested Mr C likely made the transactions himself, possibly as a scam victim. However, since Mr C denied being scammed and refused to provide further information, the ombudsman could not order a refund under the scam provisions.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website