86yr old lady scammed out of 43K was on ITV This Morning

Certainly worth watching. . Thank you for your post. Poor Janet , she explained so well how the scanners operate - so sophisticated!! A timely warning to everyone.

Poor lady. Thank you for the link. It should make us all think again when the phone rings.

I think the Ombudsman is wrong. Santander did nothing to assist this lady. I am disgusted with Santander and will be taking my business elsewhere. There are staff in my branch but you try getting one to help. Impossible.! A queue to the door for the one counter, the others staff sitting alone in offices either on phones or busy doing nothing, no customer service.

I’m very surprised if her bank made no queries or issued any warnings. Not long ago we made a substantial ‘bridging’ loan to some very old friends, who we knew would repay the money once they were able to. (And they did.)

Dh was pretty much given the 3rd degree by our bank (Barclays) before they made the transfer.

Having said that, I’ve heard of people making ‘scam’ transfers even after being questioned thoroughly by their bank, and even after being told in pretty uncertain terms that they’re almost certainly being scammed.

In one case it was a woman actually taking out a £10k loan to send to her ‘fake lover’ scammer, after she’d already sent him all her savings!

What is the significance of this lady's age that makes this sad scam story special.

Her age is irrelevant. There are plenty of 86 year old women who are completely on the ball and aware of scams and how to avoid them and many young and younger people, male and female who are equally vulnerable.

Santander in my town are very good at protecting ny money so I think its just a few different branches that are not.

I haven`t watched the Youtube,, I am elderly, I make it a rule not to answer my phone unless I know the caller... hope I don`t forget this at some stage.. who knows?

A friend of mine who sadly died last Christmas ( 2024) was the victim of a scam. She was 83, but was as bright as a button, had been a University Lecturer, and there were ‘ no flies on her’ so to speak. I can’t remember it all now but she was phoned by a “very charming well spoken gentleman” who persuaded her her bank account was at risk ( she died worth millions) … after some hours of talking and putting on the ‘banks’ IT ‘expert she eventually had enough of it and put the phone down saying she would call back ( she was pretty ill by then) instead she phoned the bank to find they had already got £2000 from one of her accounts… luckily the bank immediately refunded her! And she had to go through all the re securing/ passwords etc, of her accounts!
What I want to know is how do these scammers know the people targeted HAVE money. They obviously knew poor Janet had money by starting the conversation with £38,000 had been taken…. I suppose it could be the old magician’s trick of asking the correctly worded questions to elicit the right answer, but if anyone told me that scammers had taken £38,000 from my bank account I’d burst into laughter… they might get away with £38 on a good day!

I have just paid some money across (to my son). First think they say is "has anyone called you unexpectedly to ask you to do this"; then they ask "has anyone told you what to say about why you are transferring this money", and they say it again. Then they say "do you know this person and how did they contact you".
I realise that she is older, but she lied to Santander at least 3 times. There are so may programmes about this.

We do not answer the phone to unknown numbers at all. If they want us they will leave a message

I agree that age should not be mentioned so much. I also think that people who consistently lie to their bank after falling to these scams should not receive all their money back. On the R4 programme Scam Secrets there is always the attitude that people are innocents deserving of sympathy and should be fully refunded - even after repeatedly lying. This just means that the rest of us pay for their stupidity in the long run.

suelld

A friend of mine who sadly died last Christmas ( 2024) was the victim of a scam. She was 83, but was as bright as a button, had been a University Lecturer, and there were ‘ no flies on her’ so to speak. I can’t remember it all now but she was phoned by a “very charming well spoken gentleman” who persuaded her her bank account was at risk ( she died worth millions) … after some hours of talking and putting on the ‘banks’ IT ‘expert she eventually had enough of it and put the phone down saying she would call back ( she was pretty ill by then) instead she phoned the bank to find they had already got £2000 from one of her accounts… luckily the bank immediately refunded her! And she had to go through all the re securing/ passwords etc, of her accounts!
What I want to know is how do these scammers know the people targeted HAVE money. They obviously knew poor Janet had money by starting the conversation with £38,000 had been taken…. I suppose it could be the old magician’s trick of asking the correctly worded questions to elicit the right answer, but if anyone told me that scammers had taken £38,000 from my bank account I’d burst into laughter… they might get away with £38 on a good day!

I doubt they do always know that the people the contact have money or are vunerable in other ways.

I imagine it is much like trying to sell double glazing over the phone - they get a lot of people who immediately say, "Not interested, thank you."

And probably even if they only get a small amount, it is better than nothing, if this is how you have chosen to make your living.

This poor lady was probably too taken up with caring for her husband, I don't know, could not get past the adverts to actually see the interview with her, to remember what by now we all know or should:

If your bank or the Income tax or anyone else phones like this,disconnect the call ,then phone the number you have for your bank and ask if anyone from them has just phoned you, or not.

I think they nearly always state someone's age when it's a crime/report about an individual. I've just checked a few reports (66 year old man murdered; 23 year old man completed epic journey; 62 year old couple open home to special needs lady) so I don't think it's particularly unusual.

I do think in this case it's intended to inflame people by making her sound vulnerable.

argymargy

I agree that age should not be mentioned so much. I also think that people who consistently lie to their bank after falling to these scams should not receive all their money back. On the R4 programme Scam Secrets there is always the attitude that people are innocents deserving of sympathy and should be fully refunded - even after repeatedly lying. This just means that the rest of us pay for their stupidity in the long run.

Totally agree, especially the couple who lied to their own bank.

Scam secrets is available on BBC sounds and makes interesting, and recommended, listening, it also makes you realise how easy it is to be scammed. The people saying it will never happen to me, my friend, my neighbour etc because I’m/they’re too much on the ball are the ones who are ill prepared when a professional scammer contacts them.

Scam secrets is a good program but they are behind the curve sometimes.
They have only recently advised listeners to use a safe word when sending ( or receiving) a scam text ie mum I’ve lost my phone etc.
we have had a word for a few years.
I’ve never heard them advise listeners to watch this film which demonstrates how humongous this industry is.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001rs7s/hunting-the-catfish-crime-gang

FranP

I have just paid some money across (to my son). First think they say is "has anyone called you unexpectedly to ask you to do this"; then they ask "has anyone told you what to say about why you are transferring this money", and they say it again. Then they say "do you know this person and how did they contact you".
I realise that she is older, but she lied to Santander at least 3 times. There are so may programmes about this.

We do not answer the phone to unknown numbers at all. If they want us they will leave a message

Yes, if paying to a new payee my bank has started asking these questions on a separate screen before they will let you do it… the first time it happened I knew who the payee was and filled in all the info but it wouldn’t let me back to pay… I tried numerous times but no go… eventually my arm slipped ( this was all on my ipad) and I suddenly realised that if I had scrolled down just a little further there was a click on that said something like …” I know but I’ll pay anyway…” … DUH! Good safety feature … but also covering their backs if it turned out to be fraud!

These scammers are so plausible and can really sound genuine. I have to say if my bank phones me, I tell them I'm sorry and will call them back. I phone from a different phone ( ie if bank called me on landline, I return the call by mobile and vice versa). I've been told the crooks now have technology that can keep the line open, so that when you hang up and then phone your bank, you think you are phoning the bank, but you are still calling the scammers! I heard an interview with a former Chief Inspector of Police who had been scammed, they were so convincing. He had decided to speak out to illustrate it can happen to anyone.

I never understand why there never seems to be any audit trail of these scam transactions. The money must end up in an account sonewhere!

Thank you for the link. Frightening to watch. The scam was so sophisticated. It makes my blood boil the way vulnerable people are targeted. My next door neighbour lived in her own home alone until she was 96 and there was an endless parade of scammers beating a path to her door. People telling her tiles were falling off her roof, supposedly fixing them and charging her hundreds whilst doing nothing; her gardener overcharging for every job; people selling her things she didnt want; charities constantly asking her for money; an internet company signing her up when she had no idea how to use the internet. None of these people ever came to our house. Then when she went into a care home the house was burgled just two weeks later and all the money she had hidden was stolen.

Sadly, some people just live in a bubble, never see or hear any of the massive number of scam warnings that have been issued for, what, a couple of decades now?

The 'best' (?!) I can recall was a few years ago now, I think on the radio, involved a well-educated, experienced solicitor, who transferred some 750K to a scammer a/c on the back of a plausible phone call when she was helping purchase a house for a client.

And, as 'Nobs' says, how is it that banks and legal teams seem to have trouble accessing the accounts of the fraudsters?

In MY world, a couple of scammers would be put up against the wall and used as target practice, every week, 'pour encourager les autres'?

I would have defended Santander but for my experience a couple of months ago, when I became part of their drive to get customers to prove who they are (I've had an a/c for maybe 30 years!).

I have a business and a couple of personal accounts, I think all banks in turn are coming under Govt scrutiny, due perhaps to the mess that HSBC got into a whole back, caught money laundering for criminals (in the USA?), then had to prove they'd verified all their customers (in the process, alienating all the little clients they had like scout groups, WI branches and the like, all round the country).

Santander tried to make me jump through a mass of hoops, but I was able to quote to them the FCA guidelines, in which it's clear that assorted criminals and drug dealers are being targeted. I asked my new friend in the relevant office just how, as they could see all my transactions going back many years, they could possibly derive any semblance of criminal activity, unless I was the country's worst drug dealer with the lowest annual turnover? And would they like to discuss this question with the relevant Authority and/or Ombudsman? A couple of days later I had an email saying thanks, I was verified to their satisfaction.

suelld could you be any more patronising - 83 and bright as a button, really.

argymargy

I agree that age should not be mentioned so much. I also think that people who consistently lie to their bank after falling to these scams should not receive all their money back. On the R4 programme Scam Secrets there is always the attitude that people are innocents deserving of sympathy and should be fully refunded - even after repeatedly lying. This just means that the rest of us pay for their stupidity in the long run.

I am with you argymargy. Many of these scams have been around for 30-40 years now, so many of these people who are scammed have been being warned about these scams since they were in their 50s and there have been hearing/reading warnings about them almost since they started.

I fully understand people being caught out if their understanding is failing and they are developing dementia, but otherwise I have little sympathy

I tried to donate to the stroke association.as a one off.nut it had changed o monthly when I went to pay.also happened with an animal charities,so not doing it anymore

sodapop

suelld could you be any more patronising - 83 and bright as a button, really.

I don’t see anything wrong with what was said. I think the word ‘patronising’ is used far too often these days with little thought as to what it really means.
Another poster said, ‘poor lady’. Do you consider that to be patronising too?