Anyone can fall victim to manipulative criminals

It is not only isolated people, with few family or friends, who can fall prey to the scammers, as one Scots family found out.

Lynn Harrison exposed the carer who swindled more than £40,000 from her dying aunt.

Margo Alongi befriended cerebral palsy sufferer Betty Lynch, who was capable of making her own decisions, claiming she was her best friend and that she loved her.

She honed in on the elderly woman’s desire for visitors, often visiting her outwith her duties and taking her to the bingo, as she wormed her way in.

With Alongi eventually handed a two-year sentence for this and a similar crime last year, Lynn explained what had happened to her aunt, who was at the heart of a loving family.

It was only days before Betty’s death that Lynn, as executor of her aunt’s will, uncovered the fraud.

There were scores of cash machine withdrawals, even on Christmas Day, a day Betty spent with Lynn.

There was even a withdrawal of £300 as Betty lay dying. “That was despicable,” said Lynn. The family decided to keep Alongi’s betrayal from Betty, who passed away never knowing her deceit.

As a mark of respect to Betty, the family didn’t report the crime to the police until after her funeral, which Alongi attended.

And that was to prove shocking in itself.

“She actually said to my mum, don’t you worry Jessie, I’ll take you to the bingo now.

“That was how it started with Betty too.” Lynn likens the crime to grooming. “It is about stealing the trust of people.”

Lynn said this type of abuse is much more common than people realise and hopes that by raising awareness she can help in some way.

“There can be situations where people are lonely and are targeted for that. “But they do not have to be lonely. “People can be very manipulative and get in there.”

Lynn said her mum was “devastated” by what had happened.

But at the age of 86 she took to the witness stand for more than an hour to get justice for her late sister.

Betty Lynch was preyed upon by woman she trusted.