I was left £1MILLION overdrawn after a Barclays error… I almost had a HEART attack and they don’t care
A MUM said she "nearly had a heart attack" when a bank error showed she was £1 MILLION overdrawn.
Kameka Smith-Barrett's Barclays Online Banking showed she was £500,000 overdrawn on both her savings and current accounts.
The mum-of-two, 30, said she doesn't even have an overdraft.
Kameka told Birmingham Live: "I almost had a heart attack. I thought 'this is really bad'. It's horrible, I was shaking.
"I've just had a baby and didn't need that stress."
Kameka, who is on maternity leave from her job as a mental health worker, explained she alerted Barclays after noticing the gaffe on November 29.
The bank launched a ten-day investigation, during which her accounts were frozen – leaving her penniless.
Kameka, who is mum to Jaquan, eight, and eight-month-old Verona, said she had to borrow money from friends and family in the meantime to pay bills and buy food.
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The mum also insists she's been left in the dark and hasn't received an explanation from the bank regarding the error.
She claims she was told she would be called back by a member of staff, but hasn't been.
Kameka added: "I made a complaint, but to get no answer was crazy. They aren't saying anything. It's very stressing."
A spokesperson for Barclays told Birmingham Live: "Having reviewed the case, I can confirm the activity on the account prompted a routine review. While this review was undertaken the accounts stated a negative balance.
"This was done to safeguard the funds whilst the internal investigation took place. The negative balance on the account was not actual debt, just a precaution.
"The customer credit file and financial history have not been affected. As a regulated firm, we are subject to certain regulatory obligations which can require us to withhold transactions or services, or at times block accounts.
"We may place safeguards such as above on any banking facilities, at any time, as detailed in the Customer Retail Agreement. We’re unfortunately unable to provide any additional information regarding the safeguards placed on the account.
"However, I can confirm all safeguards have since been removed and the funds have been returned. I appreciate this has been an extremely difficult time for our customer, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused.”
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