To think there must be some way of getting this money back?

[HicDraconis]

So so angry right now.

My Dad was telephoned by someone claiming to be from BT reporting a problem with his router. She was very plausible, and persuaded him to download a patch to fix the problem. (Yes, I know. But he's 80, lives on his own, uses his computer and internet daily to maintain some kind of contact with the outside world, would feel lonelier and much more depressed without it so was very concerned when he thought it may be at risk).

He downloaded the "patch" and carried on as normal. At some point he checked his online bank account. After this, someone else logged in to his account using the details and password they'd obviously managed to get from this "patch" and cleaned him out down to the limit of his overdraft - they've stolen well over 4000 pounds, 4000 of which was overdraft.

He's a pensioner and reliant on just his state pension to make ends meet every month.

Apparently the bank says there is no guarantee and very little chance that he will get the money back. Which means that not only does he have nothing, any money he gets in the next few months will have to go into paying off the overdraft.

AIBU to think that his bank have failed in their duty of care by processing a transaction which on the face of it looks highly suspicious? I know when I want to transfer a chunk of money out of my UK bank account, as well as the online bits and bobs I have to put a card into a reader and generate a once-only passcode. In NZ I am sent a text message with an activation code before large online bank transactions are processed. I think that his UK bank has failed to instigate measures to reduce fraud and has processed a transaction that looks like fraud and therefore they are liable to repay him the money (and try and get it back from their own insurers, or the receiving bank).

Does anyone have any advice or suggestion as to how I can help from the other side of the world? Any experience in this sort of thing and getting money back?

How awful OP. I do hope you manage to get your Dad's money back. Elderly people seem to be easier for scammers to scam (perhaps they are more trusting and less cynical?).

My elderly parents have been the victim of doorstep scammers who persuaded them that they should have their roof pressure washed and painted. Fortunately my brother and I found out what they'd done before the scammers had time to cash the cheque for £3500 my dad had written for the "deposit". The total price for the completely unnecessary work was to be £7500!!

My MIL was victim to the Microsoft scam and lost 400 quid last year. She is also a talk talk customer so I rang her and said no dealings with any supposed talk talk customer service if they ring.

She got nothing back.

I'm so sad reading this.

If I saw a crowdfund to donate money to your poor father's account I would definitely contribute. Just a thought if the legal route doesn't work.

How awful. Your poor Dad must feel really violated.

These scammers are lowlife shit. Perhaps scummers is a word that should be coined.

I do hope you can recover most of the money for him.

I have no further suggestions that haven't already been made. Just some and for you both, which feels a bit useless really.

Is it worth phoning his bank himself to see if they do actually have any record of calling him about the transaction? Not sure how much difference it actually would make though.

He's with Lloyds. The money was sent to a UK Barclay's account, so hoping they can be held accountable as accessories to the fraud if nothing else. I think the bank did ring him because he needed a 4 digit code to authorise the transfer. Still unclear as to how much they took and whether the 2000 mistaken deposit was really in his account or not.

They told him to turn off his mobile, tablet and any other device connected to the wifi to stop them getting the viruses from the router - so he couldn't even text me to double check. Bastards.

Like the idea of calling them scummers :)

UPDATE

They called at the end of last week and said they'd found in his favour, would return his accounts to the state they were before the phone call. So refunded everything that was taken, bar the 2k the scammers put in (or appeared to put in) which triggered the whole thing. Very relieved, and thanks Lloyds :)

Dad's computer has been checked and sorted, but he's still very shaken by it all. He has promised to keep putting the phone down if he gets a call like this again! (and we've warned him having fallen for a scam once he's more likely to be targeted).

I still think these lowlife predators should be hunted down and used for medical experimentation.

Has he contacted the police?

Yes, he contacted the police the day it happened. They managed to trace the money apparently, it went to another UK bank account initially. I don't know what happened after that or how much more they investigated.

When Dad first rang the bank to report it, he was told he was the 11th one that morning. Obviously the Windows scam is now well enough known they have had to change their story. Still can't believe after he told them to go away (or words to that effect) and put the phone down on them, they rang him back and insisted he talk to them. Next time he will keep putting the phone down.

So pleased to read your update and to know that your df is not out of pocket.

I do so feel for your poor dad. He's had an awful shock followed by a worrying time wondering whether he'd be reimbursed, but having his account restored to its former status may go some way to reassure him that it wasn't his fault he fell for the slick patter of some despicable lowlife who was intent on defrauding him.

I'm sure it's been very a worrying time for you too, and more especially as you're so far away. Do you have a relative or trusted person in the UK you could ask the bank to call if there's any further unusual activity on your df's account, even if it may appear that he's authorised it? If that person could then call you, no matter what time it may be in NZ, you may be in with a sporting chance of intervening before any monies are spirited away.

I sincerely hope the combined efforts of Lloyds' & Barclays' fraud departments, together with the long arm of the law, result in the scamming scumbags being apprehended in the very near future and that they spend the festive season on remand in one of the UK's hideous severely overcrowded Victorian buildings which continue to serve as prisons - the thought of these despicable toerags slopping out on Christmas Day should bring good cheer to all of their victims, of whom your df will be but one among very many equally unsuspecting folk.

for your dad, a for you, and here's hoping that 2016 will be a good one for you both.

Yes, have family back in the UK who are looking after things.

Thanks goddess - I agree that the fact he's been reimbursed should make him feel slightly better in that it was a very slick fraud rather than him being daft (which he still thinks, probably).

I'm hoping they catch the scummers. Doubt they will, they seem a very organised setup. However, who knows - karma will hopefully come and bite them on the bum one day.

all round :)

He was lucky the receiving account wasn't outside the country. I hope the police manage to track the criminals down. They sound very aggressive.

I hope this won't shake him too badly or cause any sort of depression or loss of confidence, or too much brooding. I know my mum (aged 81) would be very traumatised by something like this. I am sometimes glad she doesn't have a computer.

So pleased to hear. My MIL has online banking but I have all the details and she asks me to do it all. She is a very bright and capable nonagerian and would be very shaken by something like that.

I told her that if someone came to her door wearing a striped sweater and a mask and carrying a bag marked "swag" she wouldn't open the door to them and that these scum are the same just better disguised.

If he goes to the Action Fraud website he'll be able to sign up for alerts of different types of scams so to his email. it might help him to feel more aware and in control.

Hope he is on and glad he got his money back.

Yay - happy update :-)

I don't think he was 'grossly negligent' so glad they found in his favour.

Although maybe he could see about getting his overdraft limits reduced, if his only income is the state pension it's not wise to have such a large facility.

Well done for getting hunter money back

Thanks for sharing this story too because now we can earn other elderly/vulnerable people who are likely to be targeted

I just don't understand people's greed for money that would make them do things like this to people it actually makes u blood boil

My friend (in her forties and quite internet savvy) got caught for £1500. They are very plausible. She is waiting to find out if she will get it back.

We had the same. A bloke form
abroad rang and said there was a problem and we need to do something on the computer. We believed them at first but then we realised it was a scam. Once we stopped the process, then ended the call, guy rang up about 6 times over the next hour being very abusive. He wanted to speak to the man of the house!

I have nothing helpful to add but sympathy. This week I am fuming as someone scammed my dad in a similar way. Fortunately a young IT literate friend of his stepped in and (as far as I know) sorted it before he was robbed. He has had to cancel cards and accounts.

He too is in his 80's and normally on the ball but he has just reached the end of a round of cancer treatment, has a severe lung problem and ended up in hospital the next day with a urinary infection. These people are truly shits. Their parents must be SO proud.

Good point about getting overdraft limits reduced whois - he certainly doesn't need them as large as they are. I don't think he's changed any of his financial bits and bobs since Mum died (over a decade ago), she ran that side of things for them both.

Defnot I hope your friend also has her money returned.

lozster hope your dad is ok and gets better soon.

my friend (has his own IT business, computer geek) got called by a scam like this last year. He said he pretended to play along, taking ages about it as to keep them on the line, but really did some clever IT thing where he knew they couldn't possibly hack him, as he wanted to see how they did it and possibly try and trace them through it. Once they got to a certain point and they obviously realised something wasn't right, they hung up instantly. He did say he handed the information over to the police but never heard anything back - I hope it helped!

You can get phones which only allow calls from listed numbers (designed for exactly this reason)

I think if it's an unlisted number the call goes to A trusted person or something.

Might be worth looking into?

Wolfie, I have had many calls about my 'computer issues', all with people speaking accented English on the other end, all sounding friendly and casual.

I would worry about the restricted phone number plan because if this was somehow hacked, then a call that got through might come with an assumption it was legit.

Get his banking logon details changed asap, especially as he's now back to normal, they might wait for this to be resolved and try logging on again to take more money (a bit like burglars who target again after items are replaced). The bank might not be so sympathetic if he hasn't changed his details.

My bank account was hacked on the 16th of this month and they tried to withdraw £700 and transfer it to a Barclays account. The bank flagged it up and wouldn't allow the payment to go through, yet no-one told me it had happened. I tried my card in a shop and it was declined so I tried another and it was declined. I was going in to the bank anyway and they tried the card and said it was working. It was only when I tried to get into my internet banking that I realised I had a problem The bank had actually cancelled my cards. The fraudsters had phoned the bank to change my phone number, with the result I failed the security check to get my details checked over the phone