A MUM-of-two has been left “utterly devastated” after scammers stole ALL of her life savings worth nearly £12,000.
Carol Duffy, 57, from Solihull, West Midlands, was called by crooks pretending to be from the anti-scam department of Halifax, her bank.
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She was told that fraudsters were trying to take money from her and her fiance, Martin Downes, savings account.
The con artist then convinced Carol to make two payments, shifting £11,800 out of the account – but little did she know she was depositing it into one controlled by the scammer.
She was told to ring another Halifax number up to authorise the payments.
The scammer told Carol to say that she was sending money to her niece to pay towards buying a caravan.
She was told that Halifax would call her in an hour to move the money back into her account.
But when she didn’t get the call, her alarm bells were raised and she rang the bank herself.
She told Caters News Agency: “The bank told me I had been scammed and I started to scream and cry.
“I was utterly devastated. I felt sick to my stomach.”
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She claimed Halifax has refunded just £823 out of the £11,800 lost – but won’t give her anymore.
Carol said she might have to cancel her wedding and fears she might lose her home as she’s worried about how to pay her rent.
“I have been in tears every day since it happened on February 16,” she said.
“I can’t sleep and I have been left feeling suicidal.
“How could I have been so stupid?
“I felt sick when I realised what had happened.
“One phone call and they took every penny I had.”
A Halifax spokesperson said: “Helping keep our customers’ money safe is our priority and we have a great deal of sympathy for Ms Duffy as the victim of a scam.
“We fully investigate each individual case and do all we can to get back the money that a victim has lost to fraudsters.
“Unfortunately in this case, she authorised the payment despite us blocking the initial transaction and providing relevant warnings about the risk of this being a scam.
“Sadly she did not take sufficient steps to verify if the call she received from the fraudster was genuine.
“If a customer has any suspicions about activity on their account or, as was the case here, a message or phone call they have received, they should call us using the number on the back of their bank card or on our website.
“It’s important for people to be aware their bank will never ask them to transfer money to a different account.”
How to spot the signs of a scam
Here’s how to spot the signs of these popular scams – and make sure fraudsters won’t get their hands on your cash.
You can report fraud and cyber crime to Action Fraud either online by calling 0300 123 2040.
Bank scams
Like Carol’s case, bank scams can have devastating consequences.
These scams usually rely on creating a sense of urgency.
A fraudster may call to flag suspicious activity on your account, and encourage you to move your money to a so-called safe account.
Alternatively, you may receive a text or email suggesting there has been a fraudulent transaction on your account or a payment made to someone you don’t recognise.
These might ask you to click a link to a report, which may get you to hand over personal details.
If you receive a call out of the blue from your bank, the best thing to do is hang up.
You should then call the phone number on the back of your debit or credit card from a DIFFERENT phone line.
Your bank will never call unsolicited to ask you for personal details, pressure you give information, or tell you to move your money to a safe account.
Parcel delivery scams
Parcel scams became very common during lockdown as more people than ever before were having items delivered to their homes.
These cons involve texts or emails that pretend to be from a delivery firm such as Royal Mail, DPD or Fedex.
You might have been told you’ve missed a parcel, or that you have an outstanding shipping fee.
It prompts you to click a link and fill out personal details that scammers can use to take your cash.
If you receive a message, don’t click the link and don’t hand over personal details or payment information.
Refund scams
If someone contacts you telling you you’re in line for a big windfall, be very wary.
The message may purport to come from your phone or broadband provider, your bank or even your local council or HMRC.
Refund scams usually encourage the recipient to click on a link and hand over their bank details in order to “claim a refund”.
But you should be extremely cautious about messages asking you for sensitive information.
Never to click on any links inside a message, especially if it’s one you weren’t expecting.
Other things to watch out for include spelling mistakes or strange wording in a message.
Check the details of the sender too – it may appear to be from a legitimate company but the email might be spurious, or the logo on the website it takes you might seem slightly off.
If you receive a suspicious message report it.
Scam texts can be forwarded and reported to 7726, a free service that looks into fighting scams.
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