Couple lose almost £80,000 in bank transfer scam

A couple have been swindled out of almost £80,000 in a bank transfer scam.

The pair, from Armagh, were duped after receiving a call on Sunday from a person claiming they were from “the fraud squad” of police in London.

The man was told his account had been hacked and to check it.

When he noticed a transaction on his account he did not make, he was told to create a separate account to transfer funds.

Both the man and his wife did this and in a matter of minutes, £77,000 was transferred from their accounts.

The PSNI said inquiries into the issue are ongoing.

Inspector Mark Conway said: “Any amount of money lost to a scammer is a horrible experience.

“In this particular case, where such a significant amount of money has been taken, it is devastating.

“This couple have been conned out of their hard-earned cash – tens of thousands of pounds.

“We can only imagine how distressing and traumatic this ordeal is for them.

“I want to appeal to people that on no account should anyone disclose their personal or financial details over the phone.

“Please, be on your guard. Scammers are relentless and are constantly finding ways and means to con people.

“Always err on the side of caution. It’s also really important if you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers will never seek their personal details, such as banking information, over the phone.

“This is a really important conversation to have. Guarding your personal and banking details is essential. Never disclose them to any unauthorised person.”