A pensioner was tricked out of £4,000 by fraudsters impersonating Microsoft in a cruel phone scam.
Harold Richardson, 75, from Kent, fell victim to the scam last summer, which initially seemed like a technical support call but spiralled into a costly ordeal.
Mr Richardson explained: “In July last year, I received a call from someone pretending to be from Microsoft who informed me that my computer had malware installed and that they needed access to fix it.”
The scammers managed to convince Mr Richardson to grant them access to his computer. Once inside, they obtained his personal information, including email passwords and online banking details.
Mr Richardson said: “They were very convincing, playing on a common issue to get me to grant them access to my computer, which gave them access to all of my personal information, including email passwords and online banking details.”
The fraud cost him £4,000, a significant sum for the retiree. While he managed to recover most of the money after a lengthy and stressful process, the emotional toll was severe.
He said: “The scam cost me £4,000 in total, most of which I did eventually get back, however, this took a lot of time and energy and caused me a great deal of anxiety and stress.”
Mobile phone scams continue to be a widespread issue, with 5.7 million Britons targeted by a mobile phone scammer 10 or more times according to new research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
The older generation is the most concerned about receiving messages from unknown numbers, which is unsurprising as those aged 65 and over receive 295 cold calls and potentially suspicious calls a year on average.
Despite what’s commonly believed, it’s not just older Britons who are being impacted. Adults in the 35 to 55 age group are the most likely to lose the largest amount of money as a result of phone fraud, costing them an average of £1,826 compared to the national average of £1,371.
The most common mobile and online scams Britons are targeted by include business impersonation scams (68%), bank impersonation scams (57%) and investment scams (50%).
Simrat Sharma, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, commented: “Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, from AI voice cloning to video deepfakes, making it more difficult than ever for consumers to spot them and stay protected.
“People of all ages should be vigilant when answering unexpected calls and never share personal or financial information over the phone if you do not know the caller. If you have any doubts regarding a call, our advice is to ‘Stop, Check and Call Back’.”
Ms Sharma explained: “Stop’ is a reminder – no matter how urgent the caller says it is – you can still hang up and offer to call them back to be sure of who you are speaking to.”
According to Ms Sharma, ‘Check’ means take a moment to check on the situation, look up an official number for the person or business, and ‘Call Back’ the official number and ask if the situation is legitimate.
She added: “Businesses, friends and family won’t mind if you need to do this to protect yourself.”
Ms Sharma continued: “We know people often feel embarrassed to talk about their experiences with fraud, however reporting scams to your network or Action Fraud will flag certain numbers and potentially disable future scams for others.
“There are also lots of existing services that are free and easy to access and can help keep you protected. For example, many providers offer call-screening technologies which prevent suspicious calls from reaching you.”
Following research showing more than a third (34%) of Britons admit they could “do more” to help their older relatives stay safe from scammers, Uswitch has partnered with Re-engage, a charity that tackles isolation and loneliness among older people.
Jenny Willott, CEO of Re-engage, said: “While the financial impact of scams can be great, there is also a significant emotional cost. Suspicious calls and scam attempts can cause distress and anxiety, and the stigma around being a victim of fraud means many people are embarrassed to speak up.
“Through our partnership with Uswitch, we will share information on spotting the latest types of scams, along with advice on staying protected with our older people. By sharing this with our volunteers and the older adults we support through our services, we can help minimise the impact scams have on lonely older people.”
