WARNING – SCAM HAPPENING TO ISLAND RESIDENTS!

Posted by Admin on 26 November 2016, 11:00 pm

WARNING – SCAM HAPPENING TO ISLAND RESIDENTS!
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This is a sad story of something that happened recently to a resident in Cowes: Please read and be on your guard …
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A lady had been liaising with TalkTalk trying to upgrade their broadband and phone services. After chatting to the team the night before, she was surprised to have another call the next day. The individual knew all about the problem she had been having and after 2 hours on the phone offered to pay some compensation to them as she had been so patient.
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“If you open your bank account you can check the money is in your account” the person said. Our resident was so weary after the long conversation and numerous tasks she had been asked to complete on her computer that she did what they said, checked her on-line bank accounts and found out that they had put £2,500 into her account.
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When she told them the person on the end of the line went crazy – “A new staff member has made big mistake, he’ll lose his job, go to jail, his family will be out on the street” and then asked her to go to the nearest Post office and put £2,200 into a money transfer form, and at the same time a map of Cowes with the nearest Post Office popped up on her computer. They persisted – “How long will it take you? Are you going by bus or car? I will ring you back to make sure you have done the transfer”.
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Fortunately the staff in Cowes Post Office were wonderful and they knew it was a scam and told her. She returned home and rang the Fraud Dept. of Lloyds bank. The person she spoke to found out they had taken £2,500 from her savings account and put it in her current account. They closed the internet banking down immediately and cancelled her card. Her phone did ring that night and all the next day but she did not pick up. It has now stopped.
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When she went into the bank to restart her banking the lady said it is happening all the time – this is what the Post Office staff said and the computer guys in PC World (the fraud dept. said she had to get the laptop ‘cleaned’ by someone like PC world) agreed – they meet this everyday they said. One eminent person had lost £9000….
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Our dear parishioner feels stupid that she let it happen to her – she said “I have shouted at people on TV so many times, when this has happened to them. They said you must tell your friends so they will be wary – I don’t want anyone else going through what I have.”
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It seems the Isle of Wight is being targeted because we are a retirement area. Please be on your guard and never assume that the person you are speaking to is genuine, even if they can do things to your computer or know details about you.

Rev Amanda