An elderly couple were duped into handing over ‘nearly €1million’ to fraudsters after becoming the victims of a so-called ‘pig butchering’ scam.
Paul Widdowson, 73, and his wife Ann, 76, who has terminal cancer were lured into putting their hard-earned cash into a bogus scheme after spotting an on-line advert promising huge returns for investors.
The retired gift shop owners fell for a gang of smooth-talking conmen pretending to operate a legitimate investment company, and gave them almost their entire life savings in ten instalments over just ten weeks.
They thought their money was being put into safe corporate bonds run by UK high street banks and building societies, enabling them to live off promised interest rates of up to 13 per cent while keeping their capital safe.
Paul Widdowson, 73, and his wife Ann, 76, (pictured together) were duped into handing over ‘nearly €1million’ to fraudsters after becoming the victims of a so-called ‘pig butchering’ scam
They thought their money was being put into safe corporate bonds run by UK high street banks and building societies, enabling them to live off promised interest rates of up to 13 per cent while keeping their capital safe. Pictured: A portion of a fake email the couple received
The couple who ironically wanted a safe haven for their money were reassured that they had transferred cash directly into an HSBC bank account in the UK in order for it to be in invested on their behalf.
They were given bogus…
