POLICE are urging people to be vigilant against fraudsters after an elderly Wiltshire couple were conned out of tens of thousands of pounds in a telephone scam.
The couple, in their eighties, were contacted by someone pretending to be from their bank.
They were informed that their savings were at risk and they needed to contact the Metropolitan Police immediately to ensure steps could be taken to protect their money.
After hanging up the phone, they immediately tried contacting the Met. The original caller however had remained on the line meaning they were still connected. The victims were told they were being passed to an officer that could help.
After disclosing their details he advised them the only way to avoid losing their money was to go to their bank and transfer it to another account that the fraudsters had set up for them, which they did.
It was only when they attempted to re-contact the Met a couple of days later to check on things that they discovered they had been scammed.
This case has now been reported to Action Fraud and it is hoped the victims will be able to reclaim the money through their bank.
People are advised of the following advice to help protect themselves falling victim to this sort of crime:
– If you receive an unsolicited email or phone call from what appears to be your bank or building society asking for your security details, never reveal your full password, login details or account numbers. Most banks will not approach their customers in this manner.
– If you are concerned about the source of a call, ask the caller to give you a main switchboard number for you to be routed back to them.
Alternatively, hang up and call your bank back on the legitimate phone number printed on your bank statements, making sure you hear the dialling tone before phoning, to ensure the original call has been terminated or by using a different phone.
– Keep a record of any communication with your bank including date and time of call and who you spoke with.
– Protect your private information, don’t throw out anything with your name, address or financial details on without shredding it first.
– If you think you’ve been the victim of fraud contact the police.
