They called from my bank’s number and I gave them all my information
Angela Roy believes she had a lucky escape when she was targeted by a convincing-sounding phone scammer.
In May last year, two months after Covid lockdowns were introduced, the 42-year-old businesswoman noticed a message on her mobile saying that she had missed a call from the Clydesdale Bank.
“I am a Clydesdale customer and had recently lost my bank card, so I thought they would be calling with some news about that,” said Angela, a mother of two from Inverness. “When they later called back the phone display said the call was from the Clydesdale so I didn’t think that it might not be genuine.”
Angela said the caller was male and had a foreign accent. He said he was from the bank and told her that her card had been used in a suspicious transaction in Liverpool.
During the course of the conversation Angela handed over personal details including her full name, date of birth, address and her mother’s maiden name.
“At first I had no idea I was talking to a fraudster as he sounded very genuine,” she said. “He said he was working from home in London but as I was asked for more and more information I began to get suspicious.
“I handed the phone to my husband to speak to the man and he soon hung up.”
Angela said that the weeks that followed left her fraught with worry that her accounts would be raided. The couple had to change their bank accounts and they signed up and paid for an online financial screening service from Equifax to stay safe. She also reported the incident to the police, who investigated it and offered her counselling.
“It was a nightmare,” Angela said. “It was all I could think about day and night and it was very stressful. Every hour of every day I wondered when I was going to get a call to say I had been defrauded.
“I also felt foolish that someone like myself could be taken in but the guy was very convincing. I felt violated and it really rattled me.”
She added: “I really feel like one of the lucky ones. I would urge anyone to be very careful about who they are dealing with when they receive a call or a text from anyone that they don’t know.”