Scam warning: Pensioner tricked out of £16,000 in savings ‘hang up straight away!’ | Personal Finance | Finance
The elderly victim gave his bank details over the phone allowing the fraudsters to steal £12,000 from his bank account and a further £4,000 from a Post Office account. Fraud increased 36 percent last year alone, leading police to remind people never to give their details over the phone.
Durham Constabulary warned residents in County Durham to be on their guard after a local resident fell victim to a common phone scam.
The elderly gentleman was tricked into giving his bank details over the phone which resulted in him losing £16,000.
Unfortunately he is just the latest in a long line of victims who are being conned out of their life savings by scammers.
It’s led the police to issue a fresh warning for people to never assume a call is genuine and to hang up if in any doubt.
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The spokesperson continued: “Never assume that a phone call is authentic, and if you’re unsure, always hang up straight away.”
Meanwhile, fraudsters are also targeting benefit claimants including those on Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
Reports of email, text and face to face scams from fraudsters claiming to be from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have increased according to Action Fraud.
It says there has been a recent spate of these scams – most of them relating to Universal Credit.
On its website it said: “The main way a Universal Credit scam works is someone offering to apply for a Universal Credit Advance Payment on your behalf and taking some of the money as a fee.
“They’ll often tempt you by suggesting this is free money from the Government.”
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online at www.actionfraud.police.uk
