How the scam occurred
Our client, Vanessa, a 71-year-old retiree from Bolton, received a phone call from a scammer claiming to work at Santander’s fraud team. They advised Vanessa that somebody was trying to access her bank account and because it had been compromised, she would need to move her money to a safe account.
Initially, the scammer instructed our client to move £90 to a Halifax account named ‘Branch manager’. Vanessa questioned why she had to send the money to Halifax, to which the fraudster informed her that it was to cover an insurance indemnity payment.
As Vanessa hesitated to send the cash over, the fraudster encouraged her to verify the number they were calling from, assuring her that it would confirm their identity as a Santander representative. Vanessa’s friend searched the phone number on Google, which appeared to show that it was Santander’s fraud department. However, unbeknownst to Vanessa, this was false information. The scammer also quoted one of Vanessa’s bank security questions, her mother’s maiden name, further convincing Vanessa that the scammers were legitimate.
After transferring thousands over to the fraudsters, Vanessa became doubtful and called Santander’s official number. Sadly, her bank confirmed that she had fallen victim to a cruel impersonation scam and that it was too late to stop the transactions.
Tell CEL
Devastated upon realising that she had lost money from her savings, Vanessa contacted CEL Solicitors’ fraud and scam recovery experts. Our team were successful in recovering Vanessa’s funds, along with interest, totaling £5,209.
Fraud paralegal, Demi Thomas, who handled Vanessa’s case, said:
“It is unfortunate that Vanessa has fallen victim to a scam despite her best efforts to verify the caller’s identity. Scammers can be incredibly convincing, and it is not uncommon for them to use sophisticated tactics to deceive their victims.
“In cases like this, it is crucial to remain vigilant and cautious when receiving unsolicited calls, even if the caller appears to have legitimate information. Always verify the identity of the caller independently, and never disclose sensitive information or transfer money without confirming the authenticity of the request.”
