Alert over £100k phone tricksters
Face of fraud that’s scaring us stiff
FURIOUS police yesterday blasted telephone scammers for conning four elderly victims out of a total of £100,000 in life savings.
The shocking incident follows a series of crimes against older people that led the Daily Express to launch our Respect For The Elderly crusade.
Lancashire Police said four people in Blackburn, Nelson, Preston and Blackpool were conned by fake BT Internet security scammers this week.
The tricksters asked to take over their computers to “protect” them from fictional hackers, then accessed their online bank accounts.
Police said the victims were inconsolable and devastated after having their life savings plundered.
Detective Constable Danielle Lilley said: “These types of scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can appear realistic.
Hacked
“We are urging people to be extra vigilant and suspicious of cold calls. Always question the caller’s intentions and never give out any personal information or grant access to your files or devices.”
Ms Lilley said the victims were called on their landlines by someone claiming to be from a respected supplier.
The caller states that their broadband router has been compromised or their internet email account hacked.
To “fix the problem”, they ask the victim to turn on their computer, then direct them to a web address to download a piece of software.
The software allows the caller to access the victim’s device, where they will show them “evidence” that they are being hacked, before requesting that they log in to or register for internet banking.
The caller then cleans out the victim’s bank account, claiming to be protecting the money from hackers. Sometimes they have also applied for loans and credit cards in the victim’s name. A BT spokesman said: “We are aware that some customers are being contacted by individuals fraudulently claiming to be from BT or acting on behalf of BT.
“This type of fraud is an industrywide problem that we are working to tackle. We take the security of our customers’ accounts very seriously and we are proactively warning our customers to be on their guard against scams.
“Fraudsters use various methods to ‘glean’ your personal or financial details with the ultimate aim of stealing from you. Customers should never share their BT account number with anyone and should always shred bills.
“Be wary of calls or emails you are not expecting. Even if someone quotes your BT account number, you should not trust them with your personal information,” the spokesman added.
Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams said: “Scams can have a shattering impact on older people. In the worst cases it can lead to a rapid decline in their health and capacity to live independently.
“Banks must do all they can to defeat the enormous threat today’s scammers pose. The best advice is that anyone in doubt about the authenticity of an offer should not proceed any further with it and report it immediately.”
Charity Action on Elder Abuse has called on the Government to change the law to make those who deliberately target OAPs feel its full force. A TV advert highlighting the dangers of fraud is so effective it is giving viewers nightmares.
The chilling message features actress Katharine Bennett-Fox as a shady call centre worker tricking a member of the public over the phone.
The online response suggests people are now scared stiff.
Sky News presenter Gillian Joseph said: “She scares me every time she’s on.”
Twitter user John Matthews added: “Tell me about it. I can’t watch it at night before I go bed.” Another user, Allison Morris, added: “She looks like she’s had three ex-husbands who all died suddenly in questionable circumstances.”
The clip stars Bennett-Fox, who has also appeared in ITV drama Grantchester, as a seemingly helpful bank worker who pretends not to hear a caller’s unique security code.
Yet by getting them to divulge more digits she is able to access and fleece their account.
The Barclays Digital Safety advert was launched after figures showed there had been 5.6 million fraud and cyber crime offences in the UK last year.
The figure accounts for half of all recorded crime, costing the country £11billion.
Research by Barclays revealed a quarter of the UK population has experienced a cyber fraud or scam in the past three years – 18 per cent were the victims of more than one fraud.
Head of digital safety Ross Martin said: “Crooks are using ever more sophisticated tactics to trick people into handing over their bank details.”