Elderly being tricked into moving savings into fraudsters’ accounts
ELDERLY people are being targeted by sophisticated scammers who empty their bank accounts and leave them unable to claim compensation.
The elderly are being victimised by fraudsters
Fraudsters make phone calls posing as investigators who con victims into believing their accounts are insecure and persuade them to transfer all their money into new “safe” accounts.
But, in a sinister twist, the victim is warned not to reveal the reason for moving their money to call handlers because they could be under investigation.
When the fraud, known as “vishing” is finally revealed the banks can refuse to compensate victims because they acted on customers’ instructions.
Experts yesterday urged extra vigilance when talking about bank details on the phone and called on people to help warn vulnerable relatives.
A bank would never ask you to transfer funds into a so-called 'safe account'
Europol recently warned that criminal gangs are increasingly targeting the elderly.
In one recent con a pensioner lost her £17,500 retirement pot to a scammer claiming to be from the “Visa fraud investigation department”.
He told her to report her card had been cloned but stayed on the line after she hung up.
When she called her bank the conman answered pretending to be a call handler, took all her bank details and swiped her money.
The Citizens Advice Bureau said the Financial Ombudsman Service has received around 100 complaints about vishing.
The service advises people with concerns about a call to phone police on a different line or wait at least five minutes for it to clear.
Yesterday the British Banking Association said: “A bank would never ask you to transfer funds into a so-called “safe account”.