Scammers try to force elderly man to withdraw £3,500 in exchange for Spain trip
Telephone scammers tried to force a March man to withdraw £3,500 from his bank account in exchange for a trip to Spain. Picture: PXFUEL - Credit: PXFUEL
Hopeful telephone scammers didn’t get what they bargained for after a March man worked out what they were up to in just the right time.
The man, in his 70s, received a phone call from people posing as police officers on Monday, June 22 and was told he would be taken on a trip to Spain.
All he had to do for the free European get away was head to his bank and withdraw £3,500 while he was on the phone to the scammers.
The victim was urged not to tell bank staff or police what he was up to and, if asked, he needed to explain the money was ‘for his holiday’.
After he had withdrawn the cash, the man would receive further instructions from the scammers – luckily this didn’t feel right to the victim.
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A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said: “The man was told he’d be taken on a trip to Spain but to do so, he needed to go and draw out more than £3,500 from his bank
“He flagged his suspicions up to a familiar staff member at the bank, we visited the bank and accompanied the man home.
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“The scammers waiting on the end of the phone hung up when an officer told them he was the man’s son. A crime report has been raised with Action Fraud.
“Our message is simple: if it seems too good to be true - it probably is.”
Local authorities or your bank would never ask for:
Your bank account details or PIN number over the phone
You to withdraw money and send it via a courier, taxi or by any other means
You to send your bank cards or any other personal property via courier, taxi other by any other means
The spokesman added: “If you are ever unsure about a letter, phone call, text message or email claiming to be your bank, you can take it to your local branch to be verified.
“We advise you to never provide or confirm any personal or financial information to anyone, unless you are 100 percent certain of who they are.
“If you feel you are receiving an unusually high number of unwanted calls, you can contact your telephone service provider for support.”
For more advice surrounding scams and what to look out for, visit: www.cambs.police.uk/A-Z/Scams
