A team effort to stop cruel cons

WHEN a pensioner told the cashier in her local bank she wanted to withdraw £19,000 in cash, alarm bells rang. Luckily, the staff member knew the lady, and alerted her branch manager, Jackie Cannon, to the unusual request. Jackie alerted police, and saved the woman from falling victim to fraudsters who had convinced her she owed the huge sum to HMRC and could be jailed or fined £50,000. TSB branch manager Jackie says: “Stowmarket is a market town with an elderly population. Sometimes we’re the only person they have a conversation with that day.” Under an initiative to tackle fraud, if a bank worker contacts the emergency services, police will come as soon as possible – they were there in 10 minutes. A total of 231 arrests and 4,240 emergency calls were made last year and an average of £8,960 of fraud was prevented per call, according to industry body UK Finance. Last year, criminals stole £1.2billion through fraud and scams. But banks are hitting back, educating customers about the dangers. TSB, for example, has hosted over 100 workshops this year for 5,000 residents. “Whether it’s someone losing £100 or £10,000, fraud is fraud,” adds Jackie. “We’d never ask for your PIN, password or any memorable information. If unsure, listen to your instincts and don’t be rushed.” As part of our ongoing commitment to fight fraud in Britain, we’ve created the TSB Fraud Refund Guarantee Carol Anderson, TSB Scotland