Not upheld: Cifas fraud marker recording and compensation for impact complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC trading as Barclays

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained that Barclays recorded a Cifas fraud marker against him following a 2024 ombudsman decision that partially upheld his original complaint. He claimed the marker prevented him from opening bank accounts and sought several thousand pounds in compensation. Barclays offered £250 and agreed to delete the marker, noting that Mr A had been told in 2024 to raise a new complaint if he believed the bank was responsible for his banking difficulties, but had not done so until May 2025. The ombudsman upheld Barclays' £250 offer as fair, finding no evidence that Mr A had contacted the bank about the marker before May 2025, and confirming that Barclays had promptly deleted the marker once the complaint was raised.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mr A was clearly notified in 2024 that he should raise a new complaint if he believed Barclays was responsible for his banking difficulties, but there was no evidence he did so until May 2025. The ombudsman could not reinvestigate the original complaint as a final determination had already been reached. Barclays promptly reviewed the complaint once raised and deleted the Cifas marker within a month. Considering the timeline and Barclays' actions, the £250 compensation was deemed fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website