Scam warning: Man ‘cried his eyes out’ after hackers stole £18,000 in devious scam | Personal Finance | Finance
Phil, a businessman from Nottinghamshire, had a difficult year – first coping with cancer treatment, and then being subjected to a cruel scam. On BBC’s Dirty Rotten Scammers this morning, Phil explained his situation and how these scammers deceived him.
Phil received an email from who he thought was Amazon, informing him that his account was about to be suspended and that he should call them as soon as possible.
However when he contacted them, he was connected to a man from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Phil was terrified as he thought he called Amazon about an account issue and suddenly he found he was allegedly talking to the NCA.
However things took a turn when he was asked to check his account. Phil discovered some unrecognised transactions in his account totalling over £50,000.
READ MORE: State pension POLL: Do you think you can afford to retire by state pension age?
The man on the phone told Phil that there was a mark next to his name linked to money laundering and terrorism linked to the unrecognised transactions.
In shock, Phil said: “By this time I was absolutely racked in fear, but the part that upset me more than anything was the fact that I had not spoken to anyone.
“There were no numbers given or no codes – it was just this is what they’ve got on me.”
Whilst on the phone, the criminals told Phil they had access to his accounts, however they offered him a lifeline.
DON’T MISS
Phil had been scammed out of £18,000 across his personal and business account.
The shows’ ethical hackers found that initially, when Phil thought he was helping the NCA, he had downloaded an app that gave the hackers remote access to his devices.
Phil continued: “I just didn’t realise. When this experience happened I realised they knew far more about me than I ever thought.
“Maybe I dismiss things too lightly.”
Dirty Rotten Scammers continues tomorrow at 10am on BBC One.
