Bank fraud scammers steal victim’s £90,000 life savings

RUTHLESS phone scammers have robbed an unsuspecting pensioner of £ 90,000 after posing as bank security staff.

The unnamed victim, who lost their entire life savings, lives in the Lanarkshire area, Police Scotland revealed.

The crooks claimed there had been suspicious activity in the victim’s bank account and said the entire balance should be transferred to a ‘safe’ new account.

Police say it is an increasingly common form of scam, with con artists claiming bank or building society accounts have been ‘compromised’.

Victims receive a call at home from a fraudster posing as a member of staff who claims they need to act straight away to protect their money. They are told to put their cash into a new ‘secure’ account.

But once the victim transfers the money, the bogus account is shut down and the money vanishes.

Fraser Sutherland of Citizens Advice Scotland said: ‘These kinds of scams are all too common and sadly they are increasing.

‘Last year, the number of cases seen by Citizens Advice Scotland rose by 14 per cent on the previous year (from 1,429 to 1,631) and around 40 per cent of these cases were about unsolicited telephone scams.

‘Scams can be regarded as victiml ess, not serious and sometimes blamed on the victim. However, this is unfair. They are often very sophisticated and can affect anyone, and their impact can be severe financial loss and emotional distress.

‘The police even believe that many scams have links to organised crimi- nals who may use the money gained from them to further their crimes in areas like the drug trade, human trafficking and illegal weapons sales.’

Mr Sutherland added: ‘ We urge everyone to be vigilant and to spread the word. These are serious crimes and the best way to beat them is by working together and spreading awareness about them. Above all, when they do happen, report them.’

An Age Scotland spokesman said: ‘Crimes like these are to be condemned and we hope that Police Scotland will do all they can to bring the perpetrators to justice.

‘We would always encourage people to be cautious around anyone who is demanding money or bank details up front. The test should always be that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.’

A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Victims are receiving a call from someone identifying themselves as a member of bank staff, telling them that their account has been compromised and that they have to transfer funds into a different account.

‘The second account is bogus and the victim loses their life savings. The scam is costing victims thousands of pounds, with one victim losing just under £90,000.’

Police also stressed that genuine bank staff would never ask for details over the phone.

Last month, police issued a warning after a 75-year-old woman was conned out of more than £10,000 after she was told her bank suspected her account was compromised.

The victim was then asked to call the bank back using the phone number on the back of her debit card. She assumed she was speaking to bank staff – but the conmen had kept the line open.

Anyone with any concerns is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101.

‘These are very serious crimes’