CEL Solicitors recovered £9,508 for retiree who fell victim to a sophisticated bank impersonation scam.
How the bank impersonation scam occurred
Rose, a 70-year-old retiree, received a phone call from a man claiming to work for her bank, NatWest. The scammer advised our client that someone had attempted to buy £400 worth of goods online using her Debit Card.
Rose became panicked as she did not attempt to make the purchase, however, the scammer reassured her that NatWest’s Fraud department would contact her to investigate the manner.
Eventually, Rose was contacted by another scammer claiming to call from NatWest’s Fraud team. Tricking her into believing that the phone call was legitimate, the scammers advised the client to cross-reference the phone number that they were calling from with the one that appeared on the back of her Debit Card, which matched up.
Due to the fraudster’s sophisticated phone number spoofing tactic and professional correspondence, our client was not given any reason to believe that the call was fraudulent, and the scammers had successfully gained her trust.
The fraudsters informed Rose that somebody had hacked her savings account and stolen £7,000. This of course, was untrue. However, in an attempt to keep her funds safe, Rose followed the scammers instructions and transferred thousands of pounds into an account which they had access to.
After transferring the funds, the scammers advised that they would contact Rose again with updates on their fraud investigation. Rose heard nothing back from the fraudsters, and it was at this point that she realised that she had been scammed.
CEL Solicitors are experts in fraud and scam recovery
Immediately following the impersonation scam, Rose contacted NatWest, who did not help to retrieve her funds despite the large and uncharacteristic transactions.
The scam caused our client a great deal of distress. Feeling disappointed at the lack of intervention from her bank, Rose contacted CEL Solicitors’ specialist fraud and scam recovery team, who successfully recovered £9,508 for the client.
Commenting on her experience with CEL Solicitors, Rose said:
“I feel the service I received from all CEL staff […] was exemplary and I would definitely use [the] company again if needed. Thank you for all your efforts.”
Commenting on the case, Fraud paralegal, Yassmin El Ousfour, said:
“Impersonation scams are on the rise, exploiting individuals’ fears and urgency. In this case, our client fell victim to scammers claiming her bank account was compromised. Unfortunately, the bank’s failure to intervene at the time left our client vulnerable to the impersonation scam. Whereas, appropriate action could have prevented the fraudulent activity, safeguarding the customer from harm.
“In an era where personal information is increasingly digitized, scammers cleverly impersonate financial institutions. As a crucial defence, individuals must diligently verify the authenticity of any communication allegedly from their bank or other financial entities. This involves cross-checking information through official channels, such as the bank’s website or direct contact with customer service. It is crucial to verify the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from your bank or other financial entities.
“Despite existing security measures, there’s a need for banks to enhance customer education about scam tactics. Improved fraud detection and real-time alerts can contribute to a more secure banking experience in preventing the impact of scams on their customers.”
