The couple, in their 70s, were horrified to discover to discover £20,000 had been taken from their savings without their knowledge. Scammers are targeting vulnerable victims with fake card readers.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned the rise of online banking had caused an increase in this type of fraud.
It said scammers would usually cold call households, providing enough personal details to convince the victim they are speaking with their bank, and then arrange for a fake card reader to be sent to their home.
The card reader will look similar to what is given out by many high street banks as a security measure when logging onto online banking.
But once a victim inserts their card into the machine, the fraudster is able to steal the account holder’s details.
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Action Fraud, the police’s anti-fraud agency, said hundreds of people had lost their savings in the last year.
The couple wanted to remain anonymous but will go by ‘Stephen and Barbara Jenkins’. They were devastated to find out they had lost £20,000 earlier this year.
The couple had fallen victim to a fraudster claiming to be from NatWest, their bank.
The scammer called Mr and Mrs Jenkins multiple times and, once he had gained their trust, sent two card readers in the post, calling again to ensure they inserted their cards.
They realised too late that their account was being used to spend thousands of…
