I've just witnessed a scam and can't believe it!

Well done for intervening it is such a shame these scams are still going on I feel sorry for the man perhaps he felt threatened by the person on the other end of the phone. It is just a shame he would not listen to any of you.

When I went to withdraw a large amount of cash recently in Santander, the cashier handed me a printed card with warnings about people who fraudulently ask you to withdraw cash for various scams. Presumably it was given to me to read in case the fraudster was nearby? Not sure if this warning is only given to older people or not, but it seems a good idea.
Well done for your intervention Solitaire

There was a piece on moneybox about this sort of scam. I am not sure it left me with great hope.

The scams are becoming more and more sophisticated.

Sarahhelehwhitney I didn't mean that the man couldn't have £1000 in his bank, what I meant was how could it appear that the scammers had paid it in to his bank and then for him to withdraw that amount...he had the cash with him...and pay it back to them. Presumably it was never in his account at all but only appeared as if it was? I really don't understand how that particular scam works.

So many vulnerable people (especially the elderly) get pulled into these scams....it is so sad...sighs

Thank you for trying your best to stop what was happening x

Just to cheer you all up. We have a disabled friend and were horrified to find he had married a woman when on holiday in Thailand. Thought she would leave him as soon as she got her British citizenship. However, this was 15 years ago and they are still together.

Solitaire - I think by getting his bank details they can then take more. Also - if a cheque is paid in, doesn't it appear on your statement before it clears? So it can be stopped, but still appear on the statement? (It's been a long while since anyone paid me a cheque.)

Nfk I still pay in the odd chequer and you are right it appeared straightaway on your statement but if you look at the balance available amount, it will not have been added to that. So maybe that's how they do it - they would have a window of a few days before the cheque bounced

Just had the computer scam again said she was from BT ,said every body buys through BT with different provider.
not with BT
Called her a liar, she said not to talk to her like that and put phone down on me. My sister got caught till they asked her for 85 pounds to put errors right, she then told them no.
They sound so convincing easy to get caught out.

An neighbour had a phone call this week from a scammer saying he was from the Tax Office and that he owed £1100 pound in outstanding tax. He was to make an immediate transfer of the amount or the police would come to arrest him. Luckily his brother in law was there at the time and he took the phone and told them to f**k off. He is not the sort to fall for these scams but it was good someone else was there to take the phone. He told my husband about it and laughed when he said he was still waiting for the police to arrive.

How shocking that some think the situation that OP witnessed is not something anyone else should worry about or get involved in. How un British is that attitude! No sense of civil duty!

My Mum's neighbour - long way down the road from her - saw a van, and two men taking things out from her next door neighbour's house.
As she knew they were away on holiday, she went out to see what was going on.
The van driver explained that the owners had asked them to clean all the Persian rugs in the house while they were away. The neighbour thought it was such a good idea, and they offered her a good price to do it, so she asked them to take away her large Persian rug, too.
Needless to say none of the rugs were ever seen again. Neither were the contents [small antiques] they'd rolled up in the rugs.
Just shows the brass neck of some scammers!