I recently applied to Barclays for a bank account and as part of the process had to send them a signed copy of the application and 3 months of bank statements from another financial services provider. This I duly did and when they’d processed the information they returned the lot…to the wrong address.

That’s right, Barclays sent the following to (potentially) a complete stranger:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Current and previous addresses
• Current Account Number and Sort Code
• 3 months of transaction information for current account
• Telephone Numbers
• Employer & Income Details
• Signature

In essence they handed over everything a nefarious person would need to gain access to, and take control of, my current account and all my other financial dealings with just a little work.

The good news, for me, is that our previous address hasn’t sold yet and I was able to get the details safely. Another couple of months and that might not be the case, the thought of just how badly wrong this could have gone is staggering.

I shan’t be banking with Barclays now, my business will go elsewhere. Perhaps under the bed would be safest…