Elderly New Forest man scammed out of £143,000
Five frauds have been reported to Hampshire Police this month alone
An elderly man from the New Forest has been conned out of £143,000 - as Hampshire Police warn of multiple incidents during September.
The 78-year-old was fooled into thinking he was speaking to a police officer and IT expert but it was instead a scammer.
Fraudsters tell the victim that their account has been subject to fraudulent activity and then request they help with the ongoing investigation by:
- Being asked for details about their financial accounts and bank cards
- Being sent to their bank to withdraw money, or being asked to buy high value goods
- Granting the caller access to their computer or phone, by downloading an application
Victims are then told to hand over money or an expensive item to a fraudulent courier, who will typically come to their home to collect it.
They are also encouraged not to discuss this with any friends, family or bank staff.
More incidents reported
Other cases this month have seen an 84 year old told two of his grandchildren had been caught with a cloned credit card, and asked for his name, number and other personal details.
Although there was no financial loss on this occasion, the victim was worried about the personal information which they had passed to the suspect.
A 69-year-old woman had received a call from someone claiming to be from their bank’s fraud department.
The suspect informed the victim of suspicious activity on her account and that accounts had been set up in her name.
The victim confirmed she hadn’t set up the accounts, before the suspect asked her to transfer money to their account in order to protect it.
Two transactions were completed and more than £1,000 was lost.
An 82-year-old woman has also been targeted, receiving a phone call from someone falsely claiming to be from Microsoft, stating that the victim’s computer was at risk and the issue needed to be fixed.
The caller felt this was a genuine call, as they had been having some problems with their computer.
The victim was then asked to download Any Desk – a remote desktop application - which they did.
This allowed the suspect to gain remote access to the victim’s computer. The victim was asked for their bank details, but quickly became suspicious and terminated the call.
No money was lost on this occasion, the suspect did obtain the victim’s driving licence number.
Officers are making enquiries in relation to the incidents, as well as offering support and reassurance to the victims.
Advice from Hampshire Police
Officers are reminding us that:
- Police officers, banks and other organisations such as HMRC will never call people in this way and ask you to withdraw money or disclose personal or financial information. If someone does do this, please hang up – it will be a scam
- If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their ID number and police force. Wait at least five minutes before verifying details with the appropriate Force by calling 101 – do not use any number they provide unless you can confirm it as genuine. Ensure the call has disconnected as scammers will often leave the line open or use another phone altogether. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check their identity (it’s a sign that it is a scam if the person becomes pushy or stresses urgency)
- Take a step back from everything and take a few moments to think. Speak to a trusted friend or relative for their opinion before agreeing to anything. The fraudster’s tactic is often to keep the victim busy talking and isolated. They stress that they should not tell anyone else about the call
- Your bank or the police will never send a courier to your home to collect cash, bank cards, PINs or other valuable goods
- If you are a friend, relative or carer of someone you think might be vulnerable to this type of scam, please speak to them about this advice. You might be the only person who can stop them from being scammed
If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, you can report it by calling 101 - or if a crime is in progress, dial 999.
There's also more information on active scams and how to protect yourself on the Action Fraud website or by calling them on 0300 123 2040.