Naturally, Barclays is using Nuance's crème de la crème voice-verification tech, which can recognise more than 100 unique identifiers in speech. These include speed, emphasis and pronunciation, as well as vocal tract, nasal passage and larynx shape. Customers don't have to do anything to enable the new security measure, as such. Over the course of two or three calls, Barclays will capture your individual voiceprint and use it to verify you're you thereafter.

You can choose to opt out of the program if you want, of course; but that would mean you can't tear up that almost illegible, dog-eared Post-it note of passwords and security questions once and for all.