A WOMAN who has her bank account closed by Barclays without any warning said she couldn’t access her £47,000 for weeks.
Hayley Grocock said she was almost forced to shut her charity in West Yorkshire, after being debanked.
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Hayley is the chief executive of Wakefield District Sight Aid (WDSA), an organisation providing vital help to blind people.
The charity offers support with the challenges of day-to-day living and offers specialist equipment and counselling through social events.
But it was facing financial disaster for the first time in 150 years after the fundraising cash was blocked last October.
The banking company claimed it had not provided the information needed for the “know your customer” security checks.
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However, Hayley said she was never told exactly what banking details were needed.
Ms Grocock told the MailOnline: “We’ve been with Barclays for as long as anyone can remember, so the fact they just closed our two accounts with no notice whatsoever was a massive shock.
“We didn’t know why, and we still don’t know why.
“On the Monday we were logged in to the online bank account and everything was fine, but on the Tuesday we tried to log in and got an error message saying to ring Barclays.
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“We assumed the internet banking was down, but when we called, it told us it had closed our account.”
Barclays claimed that it wrote to the charity in June warning the account would be restricted if additional information was not provided.
But Ms Grocock said she never received a warning letter on the post.
Despite WDSA staff visiting their local branch once a week to deposit donations, they were never told by staff about the account issues, she said.
The CEO said: “Every single time I spoke to anyone at Barclays I got a different story about what the issue was and how I should get my money.
“I tried to explain to Barclays, we are in the middle of a cost of living crisis, our service users need us more than ever, but also my staff need to be paid.
“The stress it has put me under and the whole team under has been unbelievable.
“It has made me ill, and that’s not an exaggeration.”
After four weeks, the charity received the cash in the form of a cheque from banking giant.
Barclays then offered Hayley to reopen the account as they claimed there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
But the charity had already opened an account with a new bank.
To stay afloat and avoid bankruptcy, bosses were forced to borrow money from another charity.
Hayley added: “If we hadn’t had a strong connection with another charity which was able to cover all our liabilities, we would have had to have closed and cancelled our services. We have existed since 1869.”
Barclays has been approached for comment.
It comes as a pensioner has told how he was left with no money after his bank account was closed “without warning” by Barclays.
Clive Sparks, 73, was furious when his family business was thrown into ‘chaos’ after Barclays suddenly announced it was to close the account after 85 years.
WHY MIGHT MY ACCOUNT BE CLOSED?
YOUR bank could decide to dump you simply because you don’t meet its terms and conditions.
For example, when you signed up you might have agreed to pay in a certain amount each month or to set up several direct debits.
In this type of situation, the bank would need to give you at least 30 days’ notice so you can move your money elsewhere.
But, Which? Money editor Jenny Ross says: “Under some circumstances, banks are allowed to close accounts without notice and without providing a reason.
“This includes suspected fraudulent use of the account.”
Your bank could put an immediate freeze on your account if it sees spending or large transfers in or out that seem suspicious.
It might block money from leaving your account to help protect you if it’s worried that you’ve fallen victim to fraudsters.
Similarly, if a large amount of money is received, it might suspect you’ve been caught up in a money-laundering operation.
Fraudsters can manipulate customers into becoming so-called money mules.
This means that they might be helping crooks to move around cash earned from crime without even knowing it.
Sometimes victims believe they are helping out a friend or that they are being paid for a job that seems legitimate.
After putting a temporary freeze on your account, the bank will then investigate more thoroughly.
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If it’s still not satisfied after this, it can permanently close your account.
Have you had your bank account closed suddenly? Email [email protected] or call 020 7782 4100
