Mum warns of telephone banking con
A Sunderland mum is urging people not to fall victim to the telephone con that emptied her back account.
Angela Armstrong was at home in Fairmead Way, in South Hylton, on Sunday, when she took a call from someone claiming to be from her bank.
“They told me they were from Lloyd’s Bank fraud department and they had concerns about my account,” she said.
“They said ‘Have you purchased anything online today?’ and when I said ‘No,’ they said it appeared someone had tried to used my card at Argos.
“They said they were concerned about it and would have to close my bank account down. They were going to open a new back account for me and I could go to the bank on Monday and draw my money out.”
The fraudsters provided Angela, 51, with an alternasure tive bank account number and sort-code and told her to log on to her online account and transfer the contents – just over £190 – to the new account.
It was only when she had done so that alarm bells began to ring as a result of the caller’s continued questions.
“It appears the account they gave me was actually a Halifax account, but that will have gone now. They will have withdrawn the money straightaway.
“I went to the bank on Monday morning and explained what has happened – I was in a right state,” said the mum-of-two.
“I read the fraud warning posters that were up and they were describing exactly what the man was saying on the phone.”
Angela accepts she will not be able to claim her money back: “They said I could not claim because I had not asked for any ID or phoned them back. They are saying it is my fault, which I know it is.”
Now she wants to make no one else falls for the same scam.
“They were quite convincing – I just fell for it,” she said.
“They were very professional and knew exactly what they were doing.”
Northumbria Police has issued advice on staying safe online and to report any suspicious phone calls to police straight away on 101.
Further advice is available from the police or Action Fraud, tel. 03001232040.
For up-to-date advice members of the public can contact Action Fraud – the UK’s national, Governmentled fraud reporting centre, which offers advice, support and prevention advice on fraud including fraud types – www.actionfraud.co.uk – access via Northumbria Police web site – Action Fraud.