This is the moment customers surged around Barclays’ cash machines because of an IT glitch that has also left millions struggling with online banking services.
The bank warned that some people may see an outdated balance, and payments made or received may not show following the initial outage on Friday, three days ago.
Barclays has apologised for the issues, saying it is facing ‘ongoing technical issues that are impacting our customers’ accounts’ and that it will ensure no customer is ‘left out of pocket’.
Videos posted on social media show huge queues by ATMs as people line up to take out ‘free money’.
Some people withdrawing cash may not see their balance go down, but it will likely update to the right amount when the IT glitch is fixed.
‘So, they all going have massive overdrafts on Monday morning’ one person commented.
‘There’s no way they’d form an orderly queue’ another said.
It is understood the outage has been caused by a technical issue and is currently not believed to be related to a cyber attack.
This is the moment customers surged around Barclays ‘ cash machines in London because of an IT glitch that has also left millions struggling with online banking services
Angry crowds gathered outside a Barclays branch after an IT glitch caused thousands to be left without access to their funds yesterday and is still causing issues today
The outage began on Friday, the same day as the January payday for many British workers and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns.
Hundreds of customers claimed they were still experiencing issues with mobile banking, online banking and paying bills today, according to outage tracker Down Detector.
Barclays said that its ATMs remain unaffected and that customers can withdraw cash and use their cards to make payments.
It said on the website: ‘Some customers may be experiencing issues making payments – we’re working to fix this as soon as we can.
‘Your balance may be incorrect and some payments you made or are expecting to receive may not show.
‘Please do not make the payments again. Please bear with us while we correct this.
‘Please be vigilant during this time
‘Keeping your money safe is our absolute number one priority. Fraudsters often use times like this to send messages pretending to be Barclays.
‘We’d never ask for your account details or to click on any links in a text message – please stay vigilant and don’t share any personal information.’
In a statement, HMRC said it is ‘working closely’ with Barclays to minimise any impact on those submitting their self-assessments and that HMRC services are ‘working as normal’.
Videos posted on social media show huge queues by ATMs as people line up to take out ‘free money’
A view of the Downdetector map for Barclays’ this morning
Any issues related to the Barclays outage will not result in late HMRC payment penalties as these do not apply until March 1, a spokesperson added.
Among those affected by the outage was civil servant Paola Mereu, 39, who said her family had been left homeless after the payment for their new house had not gone through.
Mrs Mereu sold her home in Uxbridge, where she lived with her husband and two daughters aged one and seven, and the family were supposed to move into their new house in West Sussex on Friday.
She said: ‘We drove down to (West Sussex on Friday) and we had all our things in a moving van and were waiting outside and unfortunately, around one o’clock, my solicitor calls and says Barclays is having some issues and we are unable to complete the sale.
‘So we sold our house – we had the money from that – but we were unable to complete the other part of the sale so we are essentially homeless.’
‘It took us so long to get this dream house and yesterday was meant to be the happiest day of our lives and instead, we ended up homeless,’ she added.
Mrs Mereu said her family are currently staying with her mother in London with the moving van containing all their belongings parked on the driveway.
Frustrated customers have been reaching out to Barclays support via social media.
‘Due to you Barclays I’m left without money had a food shop due for delivery this morning that now will get cancelled, leave my four kids with no food it’s a joke as (it is) my money,’ one X user claimed.
The Barclays’ website is showing what services are down today
On social media, Barclays advised customers experiencing difficulties accessing their money to seek support from friends and family and to contact food banks.
In response to a user on X who said her whole household had no access to their money, as both her and her husband bank with Barclays, the bank’s UK help X account replied suggesting she contact loved ones who may be able to offer support and with links to a food bank website.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the bank said: ‘We’re extremely sorry for the ongoing technical issues that are impacting our customers’ accounts and are working hard to fix the issue.
‘Some may continue to see an outdated balance, and payments made or received may not show. Customers should not try to make the payment again.
‘Customers can use their cards and withdraw cash, use our app and online banking, and as soon as these remaining issues are resolved, we’ll let our customers know.
‘We will ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket.
‘We are keeping our call centres open for longer this weekend and we will be proactively contacting customers who may be vulnerable.’
