barclays travel insurance helpline

HelloSafe » Insurance » Companies » Is Barclays Bank a Good Insurance Company? » Barclays Bank Login and Contact

Barclays Bank: Login, Contact and Phone Numbers

verified information

Information verified by   Adeline Harmant

Our articles are written by experts in their fields (finance, trading, insurance etc.) whose signatures you will see at the beginning and at the end of each article. They are also systematically reviewed and corrected before each publication, and updated regularly.

Table of Contents

You would like to get a quote, log in to your Barclays Bank account, make a claim, or contact Barclays Bank for whatever reason?

You’ve come to the right place.

You will find below any information you need to log in, contact, claim or cancel at Barclays Bank.

How do I get a quote at Barclays Bank?

To get a quote from Barclays Bank, nothing could be simpler.

Use our comparison tools, 100% free and anonymous and get quotes within 20 seconds from Barclays Bank and other best providers of the market.

You could also go on Barclays Bank homepage and click on the Get Quote button.

>> MORE: Our review on Barclays Bank

How do I contact Barclays Bank?

How do i contact barclays bank travel insurance.

You will find below all main helplines related to Barclays Bank travel insurance and their opening hours.

How do I contact Barclays Bank home insurance?

All contact details for Barclays Bank home insurance are mentioned below.

How do I contact Barclays Bank life insurance?

To contact Barclays Bank life insurance, you can contact phone numbers below:

What are Barclays Bank general contact details?

How do i login to barclays bank insurance portal.

Through Barclays's Insurance Portal, you can do the following:

• View, download and print your policy documents
• Make changes to your insurance policy,

To log in, you just need to enter your username and password.

Log In to Barclays Insurance Portal

How do I register as a new client on Barclays Bank?

To register an insurance customer portal account at Barclays Bank, just click on the 'Register' button on the login page. The following details will be required when registering an account:

• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Correspondence code
• Policy number.

How do I login on Insurance Portal Barclays Bank if I've forgotten my password?

In the event you've forgotten your password, you can reset it by clicking on 'Forgot password?' and providing the following details that are requested on the online form:

Where to find my Barclays Bank policy number?

Good to know.

Your policy number is a unique identifier, associated with your insurance policy. A policy number is always assigned to a specific individual by your insurer, once you have purchased an insurance.

Barclays Bank will identify your account with your policy number. You will always be asked to provide it when you report a claim, cancel or modify your policy or for any other matter.

Your policy number is mentioned on top of your Barclays Bank policy schedule. Your policy schedule is usually sent by mail, email, or accessible through your customer portal.

How do I make a claim at Barclays Bank?

You will find below any information you need to know to report a claim at Barclays Bank.

How to claim on your Barclays Bank travel insurance?

There are 2 ways to make a claim and that is either through phone call or online.

How to claim on your Barclays Bank home insurance?

You can report a claim on your Barclays home insurance through different ways:

• by calling the claim management team available 24/7
• Through the MyPolicy section of the company's website
• Through the online form.

You will be asked to provide your insurance policy number as well as details on claim circumstances such as date and time, pictures or other person involved.

How to claim on your Barclays Bank life insurance?

You will find on this table the different possibilities for claiming at Barclays Bank life insurance:

How do I cancel my Barclays Bank policies?

How to cancel barclays bank travel insurance.

You will find below main information to cancel your travel insurance policy at Barclays Bank:

How to cancel Barclays Bank home insurance?

To cancel your Barclays Bank house insurance, here is what you need to know:

How to cancel Barclays Bank life insurance?

You will find on this table the different ways to cancel your Barclays Bank life insurance:

Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications. In this sense, his role leads him to carry out steering and support work with all HelloSafe editors and contributors so that the editorial line defined by the company is fully respected. and declined through the texts published daily on our platforms. As such, Alexandre is responsible for implementing and maintaining the strictest journalistic standards within the HelloSafe editorial staff, in order to guarantee the most accurate, up-to-date information on our platforms. and expert as possible. Alexandre has in particular undertaken for two years now the implementation of a system of systematic double-checking of all the articles published within the HelloSafe ecosystem, able to guarantee the highest quality of information.

Barclays uses cookies on this website. Some cookies are essential to provide our services to you. Other cookies help us to analyse how you use the site, so we can improve your experience on our site. Cookies are stored locally on your computer or mobile device. Please select 'Accept all' to consent to cookies, or select 'Manage cookies' to change your preferences. For more information visit our cookie policy .

Choose your Region

• Asia Pacific
• Africa and Middle East

Raising Concerns Team

Barclays takes all concerns raised seriously and you are encouraged to raise any concerns you have.

Important information

Barclays Insurance: Claim, Login, Contact & More

If you live in the UK, you are bound to have heard the name Barclays. You probably know the famous brand as a bank, but did you know it offers a multitude of insurance products too? From home insurance to gadget insurance, read on to find out more about Barclays insurance policies and whether they could be a good fit for you. You can also find information on how to make a Barclays insurance claim and see a step by step guide on how to login and manage your policy all online.

Barclays Insurance

From home and travel insurance to life and gadget cover, Barclays Insurance sells lots of different insurance products to its customers. Helping you protect and cover what matters most to you, Barclays Insurance falls under the personal banking arm of the worldwide banking sensation Barclays plc. Let’s take a look at this huge brand in more detail.

Barclays plc: what, when and who

Barclays plc is a British multinational investment banking and financial services company. Founded, and still based in London, it operates in four main areas :

• Personal banking (this is what Barclays Insurance falls under)
• Corporate banking
• Wealth Investment
• Investment management

A household name today in both the UK and across the word, Barclays can trace its roots all the way back to the late 17th century when founders John Freame and Thomas Gold starting trading in London. However, the name Barclays was not created until the mid 1700s. In 1736, John Freame’s son-in-law, James Barclay, became a partner of the bank, thus giving it the now famous name.

From London, the company expanded throughout the UK and also abroad. It now has over 4,500 branches in 55 different countries . 1,600 of these are in the UK.

In the UK, the banking group has been a leader in bringing new banking technology to British shores: it was the first bank to offer both credit and debit cards to UK customers. It has also branched out from bank accounts, now offering customers a plethora of financial services, including mortgages and insurance.

There are two British Barclays plc subsidiaries: Barclays Bank plc (which works in corporate banking); and Barclays Bank UK plc (which operates in retail/personal banking).

Timeline of Barclays: from its origins to today

• 1736 - The Barclays name becomes associated with the brand for the first time.
• 1896 - Several other banks operating in London unite and form Barclays and Company.
• 1990s - Barclays goes abroad under the name Barclays DCO (later named Barclays International)
• 1965 - The company expands to the US and opens the Barclays Bank of California.
• 1966 - It launches the first credit card in the UK.
• 1981 - The national and international arms of the company merge to form Barclays Bank plc, which later becomes just Barclays plc.
• 1987 - Barclays launches the UK’s first debit card: the connect card.
• 2013 - The company announces it’s first net loss in over two decades.
• 2015 - The company is the first UK highstreet bank to start accepting Bitcoin.
• 2016 - Barclays make a big deal with Apple, letting their customers use Apple Pay.

Finances and shares

Barclays plc is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (primarily) and the New York Stock Exchange (secondary).

Over the years it has seen some huge drops in its share prices . For example, in 2007 they dropped by nine percent following rumours of the company having been exposed to bad debt in the US. In 2009, its share prices fell even further - when the International Petroleum Investment Company sold 1.3 billion of its Barclays shares, Barclays share price fell by a whopping 54%!

It has also faced some big losses financially. In 2013, for the first time in two decades, Barclays plc announced that in 2012 it suffered a total net loss of £1.4 billion. This resulted in future plans to cut 3,700 jobs and reduce their annual costs by £1.7 billion.

Despite this big loss, Barclays continues to do well. In 2018 Barclays plc reported a profit of £3.5 billion (before tax), with it’s British arm, Barclays UK, making £2 billion (before tax).

Barclays Insurance policies

Barclays offers customers home, travel, life, and phone and gadget insurance. However, not all these policies are available to everyone. While anyone can purchase most of Barclays home insurance policies, the company no longer offers stand alone travel insurance. This means that to take out travel insurance with Barclays, you must have a Barclays bank account. The same is true for phone and gadget insurance.

Barclays is no longer offering car insurance . If you have a car insurance policy with Barclays, it will remain valid until the date stated in your policy documents.

Home insurance

Barclays offers quite a few different types of home insurance , including landlord and students insurance, contents and buildings insurance , and the typical combined home insurance policy, which comes in to two options:

• Barclays Home Insurance - this offers a very basic level of cover as standard, but allows you to add on lots of different extras to create a policy that is tailored to your needs. These extras include the likes of accidental damage, cover for sports equipment and home emergency cover.
• Barclays Premium Home Insuranc e - this policy offers very comprehensive cover as standard and pretty much includes all avenues of cover in the base policy, such as students cover and accidental damage.

Interested in Barclays home insurance policies and want to find out more? Head to our Barclays home insurance guide (coming soon) to see more details.

Travel insurance

Barclays offers two options when it comes to travel insurance . They are referred to as packs and are only available to customers who have a Barclays bank account . Both packs are also only available as annual multi-trip travel insurance, so are not designed for single trip holidays.

• Travel Pack - this is the more basic pack, but it still includes worldwide cover for the whole family with RAC breakdown cover when you are travelling in the UK and Europe.
• Travel Pack Plus - as the name suggests, this ‘pack’ comes with extras, but these extras aren’t related to the level of cover. The actual level of insurance is the same, but with the plus pack you also get access to airport lounges and discounts on airport parking and hotels.

Discover much more, including prices and customer reviews, in Selectra’s Barclays travel insurance guide.

Phone and gadget insurance

With Barclays Tech Pack , Barclays bank account holders can get cover for up to four mobile phones and an unlimited number of gadgets (laptop, mobile phone, tablet) that are each worth up to £1,500. This cover consists of worldwide protection for loss, theft, accidental damage and if the gadget stops working, so is great when travelling as gadgets aren’t usually covered in a travel insurance policy.

Make sure you read all the terms and conditions to check for any and all exclusions. For example, gadgets over five years old can’t be included on the policy. There is also a £75 excess charge on any claim, so there isn’t much point including your mobile if it is on the cheap side.

Who underwrites Barclays Insurance?

Barclays home insurance is underwritten by Gresham Insurance Company Limited , which is a member of the Aviva group. The premier policy (Barclays Premier Home Insurance) is underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Limited . Both travel insurance packs offered by Barclays are underwritten by Aviva.

How to make a Barclays Insurance claim

So, if you have a Barclays insurance policy, how do you make a claim ? Is it an easy process? When looking online we found a few different phone numbers listed as what to ring if you need to make a claim, which can be a bit confusing!

Let’s start with home insurance. First things first, you can make a claim online. If your policy number starts with MHO , IQU or MPH , you can log in to your Barclays account (see below) and report your claim in the Make a claim section. If you policy does not start with one of these combinations you cannot claim through your account but can still claim online with the Barclays online claims form.

If you want to ring to make a home insurance claim , we advise you to look in your policy documents to find the correct phone number to ring. If you cannot find your documents, try the following number:

Barclays home insurance helpline Someone will take your claim or direct you to someone who can 0800 0279 844 *Lines open 24/7, but are closed on December 25th

Now travel insurance. The only way to make a travel insurance claim is to ring Barclays. The correct number depends on the policy you have:

If you have an existing ‘ stand-alone’ travel insurance policy (policies Barclays used to offer that didn’t require you to have a Barclays bank account), call 0330 102 6416 from the UK and +44 208 763 3196 from abroad to make a claim.

If you have an existing Barclays car insurance policy, ring 0344 871 2372 to make a claim.

Barclays Insurance login

The Barclays online system for insurance customers is called MyPolicy , but it is only available to customers with a home insurance policy that starts with:

For those lucky enough to have access to this system, it makes managing your policy a lot easier, letting you view and download your policy documents, update and change personal details, add items onto your policy and even make a claim all online.

If you are having some problems logging in, follow these Barclays Insurance login steps.

• Access the login page by typing ‘Barclays MyPolicy login’ into your search engine. The first result should read Barclays MyPolicy . Click this and you will be on the login page.
• In the box next to username, type in the username you set up when you registered for your account.
• In the box next to password, type in your password.
• Press the blue Log in box and that’s it: you will now be in your account.

If you already have Barclays online banking, you can also access the MyPolicy system from your online banking account homepage.

Want to log in to your MyPolicy account now? Just click the button below.

If you need to make any changes to your travel insurance pack, you need to call Barclays on 0800 404 6856 from the UK or +44 1603 604 964 from abroad.

Barclays Insurance number: complaints & queries

Whether you want to complain to Barclays or just have a general question, we have the Barclays Insurance number or alternative method of contact you need.

If you have an existing policy with Barclays and need to clarify a few issues you aren’t sure about, give the relevant number listed below a ring:

• Home insurance: 0800 015 0246 (Mon-Fri: 8am-10pm; Sat: 8am-6pm; 10am-4pm)
• Barclays travel pack: +44 1603 604 977 (24/7)
• Barclays travel pack plus: +44 1603 604 964
• Barclays tech pack: 0800 158 3199 (Mon-Sun: 8am-10pm)
• Existing car insurance policy: 0344 71 2373 (Mon-Fri: 8am-9pm; Sat: 9am-5pm; Sun: 10am-4pm

If you do not want to call, or do not have an existing policy with Barclays, there are a number of other ways you can get in touch.

• Send a message using the Barclays online chat .
• Fill out and submit the Barclays Contact Us form .

Do not include any personal or sensitive information in your online chat or Contact Us form message. You can find both these methods of contact on the Barclays website, underneath the Contact Us tab.

Barclays are also active on social media so you can always just send them a message on Facebook or Twitter . We used the Facebook messenger method to see how effective it was as a means of contact. Our messages we replied to swiftly (within 10/15 minutes), the responses answered our questions adequately and the customer service agent was helpful and friendly.

You can issue a complaint with Barclays either online or over the phone. If you would prefer to do so online, you can do so via Barclays online web chat or by sending a secure message.

To send a complaint via the web chat, log in to your account, select the Contact Us tab and then the Your Complaint tab. You will then be able to talk to a customer service agent in real time.

To issue a complaint via a secure message, you need to log in to your account and fill out the Barcalys complaint form .

If you are a bit more old fashioned and would prefer to call Barclays in order to make your complaint, ring the number listed below.

Barclays complaints number A Barclays customer service agent will register your complaint 0800 282 390 *Lines operate 24/7, but are closed on the 25th December

Barclays aim to solve all complaints within 15 days. Failing this, they strive to get to the base of the problem and find a solution within eight weeks. The time it takes to resolve your issue will depend on the individual circumstances of your complaint.

Barclays Insurance reviews

It’s very hard to find reviews of Barclays Insurance as a whole online. Typically reviews are either focused on a particular insurance policy, or on the Barclays company as a whole, meaning including their banking services.

On Trustpilot , for example, Barclays has a rating of 1.6/5, with 83% of 1634 reviews rating the company as bad. While this is refers to Barclays UK as a whole, we can see that most of the bad comments focus on poor customer service, something that is also related to the insurance products it provides.

Terrible customer service, passed between people and put on hold multiple endless times. Online chat person was rude. William

While this is not conclusive or extensive evidence that insurance customers receive bad customer service , it is useful to know that this is something more than a dozen customers have complained about.

Complaints data

Another way to rate customer satisfaction is by looking at the number of complaints Barclays receives. From the company’s own data, we can see that they managed to resolve 167,639 insurance related complaints from July to December 2018. This is more than a lot of other providers for the same time period, but does also suggest that Barclays also receives a lot more complaints in the first place.

Is Barclays efficient at dealing with these complaints? In this six month span it only managed to close 10% of these complaints in three days, which is one of the lowest percentages we have seen ( Admiral , for example, solved 58% of complaints received over six months in three days, and AXA 40.30%).

However, making up for its original poor performance, it does then solve 84% within eight weeks, which is one of the highest figures we have seen. Plus, Barclays Insurance actually up held(meaning saw as valid) 89% of complaints, which is again one of the highest figures we have seen (Admiral only upheld 47% and AXA 68%). This could explain why Barclays is slower at solving complaints in the initial three days.

The main complaint Barclays received during this period was ‘ advising, selling and arranging ’, suggesting customers have experienced issues with the process of purchasing policies and the advice given by customer service.

For a more detailed review of Barclays insurance policies, head to either our Barclays home insurance or Barclays travel insurance guides. These contain more specific customer reviews, reviews from industry professionals and more in depth policy information, as well as price comparisons.

Data and information correct as of September 2019.

All material on this page and the selectra.co.uk website is for information purposes only and does not constitute any form of financial advice. Selectra.co.uk is not responsible for any consequences that might arise from your use of the information provided.

Barclays Travel Insurance: Want the Best Pack?

Change country

It's time for an update.

To continue accessing and managing your account, please update your browser.

We're here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. See below for the variety of ways we can support you.

Self service

Manage your account online by registering or logging in or use the Barclays US app at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to perform the below and more:

• Make payment
• Set up repeat/automatic payments
• Check your balance
• View minimum payment and your due date 
• View most recent payments 
• Check available credit
• Review Rewards 
• Transfer a balance

Download Barclays US App

Or text the word MOBILE to 60956

• Report Lost or Stolen Card/Fraud
• Change your PIN
• Check credit card transactions
• Dispute a charge
• Order a replacement card
• Add Authorized User
• Enroll in Paperless Statements 

We want to hear from you. Please find the number below that best matches your need and give us a call.

General Inquiries

877-523-0478

866-823-8178

Credit Card Activation

877-408-8866

International (Call Us Collect)

302-255-8888

Accessibility Coordinator

800-309-6191

ADA/Accessibility Services

Please contact us using relay services (dial 711)

Servicing Phone Numbers by Product

• AAdvantage Aviator Mastercard 866-928-3075
• AARP Credit Cards from Barclays 866-564-3674
• Athleta Rewards Mastercard 866-419-1018
• Banana Republic Rewards Mastercard 866-582-0286
• Barnes & Noble Mastercard 866-896-5547
• Breeze Easy Visa Credit Card 866-328-1507
• Carnival Mastercard 866-255-1304
• Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard 866-951-9529
• FRONTIER Airlines Mastercard 866-839-2435
• Gap Good Rewards Mastercard 866-584-3923
• Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard 866-250-2878
• Holland America Line Visa Card 866-922-7673
• JetBlue Card 866-928-3104
• Luxury Card 844-724-2600
• Miles & More Mastercard (Lufthansa) 866-483-8458
• Navyist Rewards Mastercard 866-386-8679
• Priceline Rewards Visa 866-951-1440
• Princess Cruises Visa 866-872-6248
• RCI Rewards Mastercard 866-951-1433
• Upromise Mastercard 866-383-8192
• Wyndham Rewards 866-428-2424
• Xbox Mastercard 866-675-6409

Have a quick question?

Connect with us on social media but please do not include any sensitive account information.

Cardmember communications

Our cardmembers can send secure messages to protect their account information. To send us a secure message, simply log in to your account and select contact us. To view your messages, log in to your account  and select the new messages link.

Complaint policy

You can register a complaint with us using the contact information below:

By U.S. Mail: Card Services P.O. Box 8801 Wilmington, DE 19899-8801

By Phone: 866-225-9725

View the full policy

General Correspondence

Card Services

P.O. Box 8801

Wilmington, DE 19899-8801

Credit Card Billing Disputes

P.O. Box 8802

Wilmington, DE 19899-8802

Credit Bureau Disputes

P.O. Box 8803

Wilmington, DE 19899-8803

Credit Balance Refunds

P.O. Box 8746

Wilmington, DE 19899-8746

Credit Card Payments

P.O. Box 60517

City of Industry, CA 91716-0517

P.O. Box 13337

Philadelphia, PA 19101-3337

Overnight Credit Card Payments

(Using specific labels and envelopes through UPS, Mail Boxes Etc., FedEx, U.S. Mail)

Lock Box 60517

2525 Corporate Place, Suite 250

Monterey Park, CA 91754

400 White Clay Center Drive

Newark, DE 19711

Physical Address

Barclays Bank Delaware

125 South West Street

Wilmington, DE 19801

Take control of your money! Save, budget and navigate your finances easier with AARP Money Map.

Popular Searches

AARP daily Crossword Puzzle

Hotels with AARP discounts

Life Insurance

AARP Dental Insurance Plans

Suggested Links

AARP MEMBERSHIP — $12 FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR AUTOMATIC RENEWAL

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

• right_container

Work & Jobs

Social Security

AARP en Español

• Membership & Benefits
• AARP Rewards
• AARP Rewards %{points}%

Conditions & Treatments

Drugs & Supplements

Health Care & Coverage

Health Benefits

Staying Fit

Your Personalized Guide to Fitness

AARP Hearing Center

Ways To Improve Your Hearing

Brain Health Resources

Tools and Explainers on Brain Health

A Retreat For Those Struggling

Scams & Fraud

Personal Finance

Money Benefits

View and Report Scams in Your Area

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide

Free Tax Preparation Assistance

AARP Money Map

Get Your Finances Back on Track

How to Protect What You Collect

Small Business

Age Discrimination

Flexible Work

Freelance Jobs You Can Do From Home

AARP Skills Builder

Online Courses to Boost Your Career

31 Great Ways to Boost Your Career

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Tips to Enhance Your Job Search

Get More out of Your Benefits

When to Start Taking Social Security

10 Top Social Security FAQs

Social Security Benefits Calculator

Medicare Made Easy

Original vs. Medicare Advantage

Enrollment Guide

Step-by-Step Tool for First-Timers

Prescription Drugs

9 Biggest Changes Under New Rx Law

Medicare FAQs

Quick Answers to Your Top Questions

Care at Home

Financial & Legal

Life Balance

LONG-TERM CARE

​Understanding Basics of LTC Insurance​

State Guides

Assistance and Services in Your Area

Prepare to Care Guides

How to Develop a Caregiving Plan

End of Life

How to Cope With Grief, Loss

Recently Played

Word & Trivia

Atari® & Retro

Members Only

Staying Sharp

Mobile Apps

More About Games

Right Again! Trivia

Right Again! Trivia – Sports

Atari® Video Games

Throwback Thursday Crossword

Travel Tips

Vacation Ideas

Destinations

Travel Benefits

Beach vacation ideas

Vacations for Sun and Fun

Plan Ahead for Tourist Taxes

AARP City Guide

Discover Seattle

25 Ways to Save on Your Vacation

Entertainment & Style

Family & Relationships

Personal Tech

Home & Living

Celebrities

Beauty & Style

TV for Grownups

Best Reality TV Shows for Grownups

Robert De Niro Reflects on His Life

Looking Back

50 World Changers Turning 50

Sex & Dating

Spice Up Your Love Life

Navigate All Kinds of Connections

Life & Home

Couple Creates Their Forever Home

Store Medical Records on Your Phone?

Maximize the Life of Your Phone Battery

Virtual Community Center

Join Free Tech Help Events

Create a Hygge Haven

Soups to Comfort Your Soul

Your Ultimate Guide to Mulching

Driver Safety

Maintenance & Safety

Trends & Technology

AARP Smart Guide

How to Keep Your Car Running

We Need To Talk

Assess Your Loved One's Driving Skills

AARP Smart Driver Course

Building Resilience in Difficult Times

Tips for Finding Your Calm

Weight Loss After 50 Challenge

Cautionary Tales of Today's Biggest Scams

7 Top Podcasts for Armchair Travelers

Jean Chatzky: ‘Closing the Savings Gap’

Quick Digest of Today's Top News

AARP Top Tips for Navigating Life

Get Moving With Our Workout Series

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Go to Series Main Page

AARP’s Fraud Fighters See the True Cost of Scams Every Day

Volunteers at the aarp fraud watch network helpline are devoted to supporting and assisting victims.

Christina Ianzito,

Dan Smith, 74, a soft-spoken retired lawyer, is on the phone at the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) office in Denver on a recent Tuesday morning, speaking with Becky, who tells him she lost $16,000 in a PayPal impostor scam. She doesn’t know what to do next — and doesn’t want her husband to find out.

​“I’m sick to my stomach,” she says, explaining how it began with an email about a suspicious charge; to dispute it, she was told, she needed to fill out an online form. When she did, the scammers were able take over her computer . “Stupid me, thinking people are honest.”

AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Smith reassures her that she is most certainly not stupid and, sadly, not alone. “This scam is distressingly common.… I am truly sorry this is happening to you.” He goes on to explain how to protect herself from further loss — including getting her computer cleared of malware and requesting a new bank account number and password. “Call us anytime,” he adds, before their 15-minute call ends.

Smith is a longtime volunteer for the free AARP helpline, one of the largest operations of its kind in America. It’s staffed with volunteers who listen to victims’ stories, help them report crimes, find financial or psychological counseling , and more.

Along with regulars like Smith who come to the downtown Denver headquarters, there are more than 160 volunteers around the country who do the work remotely. Led by Amy Nofziger, AARP’s director of fraud victim support, the team responds to about 150 calls each day. All are first screened by a trained triage team, which passes to the helpline volunteers the callers needing urgent help.

The helpline team is housed in a nondescript downtown building, where volunteers set up in individual offices. Sometimes they’ll poke their heads out to get advice from a fellow volunteer or Nofziger — who keeps in her office a blue stuffed llama, available for hugs when anyone gets overwhelmed by a tragic story.

On a recent day, Smith’s laptop screen was open to a list of scam victims needing callbacks.

“The hardest calls are the ones where someone lost everything,” he says. That is not uncommon.

The AARP fraud helpline has operated for a decade, thanks to people willing to give their time. No specific background is needed to volunteer, though many have had careers in law enforcement. All receive at least 20 hours of training before handling calls.

Most Popular

Have you seen this scam?

• Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at  877-908-3360  or report it with the  AARP Scam Tracking Map .  
• Get  Watchdog Alerts  for tips on avoiding such scams.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

On this day, the Denver office volunteers will speak to about 40 fraud victims. Among them:

• A caller reporting that he’d paid $17,000 through a bank transfer for a car listed on a website that turned out to be bogus.
• A Mississippi man who sent $1,000 in Apple gift cards to pay for a puppy advertised online. The seller kept adding fees. “Now I don’t have enough money to pay my medicine bills,” he tells a volunteer.
• A woman whose father has dementia and is being contacted by fake “debt collectors.” He has given them $70,000.

In the afternoon, Margaret Locke, a no-nonsense 62-year-old who has had a long career as an attorney, speaks with a 65-year-old man named Donald who says someone called to tell him he’d won $10 million and a Mercedes from Publishers Clearing House. He didn’t have to pay anything. All he needed to do was set up a new savings account where winnings could be deposited. Donald did so but realized it was a scam when asked for the PIN to his account.

Coupons for Local Stores

Save on clothing, gifts, beauty and other everyday shopping needs

“I gave him too much of my information,” including his Social Security number, Donald says.

“Did you close the bank account?” Locke asks. He hadn’t. “You need to,” Locke says firmly. “Sir, you need to do that today.” He agrees to do so, and takes further instructions from her on preventing post-scam identity theft. “I’m sorry if I’m bossy, but these people will take every dime you have.”

Seeing good people victimized can take an emotional toll, Locke admits. But, she adds, “most of the time, at the end of the day, I feel really good.… We make a difference.”

​Christina Ianzito covers scams and fraud, and is the books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine . Also a longtime travel writer and editor, she received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.​

Discover AARP Members Only Access

Already a Member? Login

AARP NEWSLETTERS

%{ newsLetterPromoText  }%

%{ description }%

Privacy Policy

More From AARP

Identity Fraud Cost Americans $43 Billion in 2023

Victims are losing more money to these crimes

New Tech Tools Protect Consumers From Identity Fraud 

Emerging fraud-fighting technologies make it easier to separate impostors from actual customers

What to Know About Cryptocurrency ATMs

Kiosks are everywhere, helping scammers steal cash from victims

Recommended for You

AARP Value & Member Benefits

High Yield Savings from Marcus by Goldman Sachs®

Rate bonus on high-yield online savings account

AARP® Travel Rewards Mastercard® from Barclays

3% cash back on airfare, hotel stays and car rentals

Interview an Advisor™ Tool

A free resource to help you assess a financial advisor

AARP® Staying Sharp®

Activities, recipes, challenges and more with full access to AARP Staying Sharp®

SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS