A 72-year-old Broad Green woman's case in which she lost thousands of pounds to a bank card scam is now being used as a learning measure into how to avoid similar occurrences happening to others.

The woman received a telephone call from a man claiming to be the new manager at a local branch of her bank. He became angry when she refused to tell him her pin codes, telling her that she could lose money if she refused.

A follow-up caller, claiming to be the first man’s superior, asked her to meet him at another branch. She refused. A further caller, claiming to be the manager of the branch at which she banked, said he needed her cards as they would be replaced later that day. Trusting that he really was her bank manager, she agreed. He said he would send a courier to collect the cards, and they agreed a password that the courier would use.

The courier arrived, with the correct password, and the resident handed over all her bank cards. The man claiming to be the manager called a short time later, said he had her cards, and needed the pin codes for each of them, which she duly provided.

The victim said that she didn’t like telephone banking and that she would like to set up a branch account. The caller said he could set it up for her but would need some money. He told the victim to go to the West Croydon branch of her bank and withdraw £10,000 in cash. The branch cashier told her that she could withdraw only £5,000.

She then received another phone call from the bogus bank manager, asking to meet her at the East Croydon branch to open the new account and that he would send a courier to collect the £5,000 cash. The courier who had earlier collected the cards collected the cash. The “bank manager” called again, saying that he would call the next morning to arrange to meet the victim at the East Croydon branch.

Later that evening, the victim received a telephone call from her bank’s fraud investigation department, with details of activity in her account. The victim confirmed that she had not made those transactions, and realised that she had been scammed. She reported the incident to the police.

The average age of people reporting scams is 75, with over-70s being the group that sees the largest proportion of people who are recurring victims of scams.

Three things that residents can do if they suspect they are the target of a scam:

  • Get advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service online at www.citizensadvice.org.uk or by calling 03454 04 05 06. More information about Scams Awareness Month can be found at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/campaigns/current_campaigns/scams-awareness-month/scams-awareness-month/
  • Report scams and suspected scams to Action Fraud online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. Reporting can help prevent it happening to others. If debit cards, online banking or cheques are involved in the scam, the consumer’s first step should be to contact their bank or card company.
  • Tell family, friends and neighbours so that they are aware and can avoid scams.

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