NI couple duped out of £80,000 in banking transfer scam - 'we can only imagine how distressing and traumatic this ordeal is for them'

The couple from Armagh were duped after receiving a call on Sunday (13th March) from a person claiming they were from 'The Fraud Squad' of police in London.

The male victim was told his account had been hacked and to check it.

When he noticed a transaction on his account he didn't make, he was told to create a separate account to transfer funds.

Both the man and his wife did this and, in total and in a matter of minutes, £77,000 was transferred from their accounts to the scammer/s.

Enquiries are ongoing into the matter.

Inspector Mark Conway says: "Any amount of money lost to a scammer is a horrible experience.

"In this particular case, where such a significant amount of money has been taken, it is devastating.

"This couple have been conned out of their hard-earned cash - tens of thousands of pounds.

"We can only imagine how distressing and traumatic this ordeal is for them.”

Inspector Conway says the threat of fraud, both online and offline, against the public "is a constant focus for us, and I want to appeal to people that, on no account, should anyone disclose their personal or financial details over the phone”.

"Please, be on your guard.

"Scammers are relentless and are constantly finding ways and means to con people,” says Inspector Conway.

"Always err on the side of caution. It’s also really important if you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers will never seek their personal details, such as banking information, over the phone.

"This is a really important conversation to have.

"Guarding your personal and banking details is essential.

"Never disclose them to any unauthorised person.”

Inspector Conway says the threat of fraud, both online and offline, against the public "is a constant focus for us, and I want to appeal to people that, on no account, should anyone disclose their personal or financial details over the phone”.

To any consumer scammed with funds leaving their bank account, contact your bank/financial institution immediately so that attempts can be made to recover funds and cancel and effected services.

Anyone concerned they've been a victim of a scam can report the matter to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. You can also call us on 101, or submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ We also have lots of advice on our website at https://bit.ly/3tbprn0 Information and advice is also available at www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Editor