1:40pm Thursday 26th March 2009
A Pembroke Dock pensioner, bullied into giving her bank details over the phone, has fallen victim to fraud.
The 65-year-old woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was contacted last Wednesday evening by a man who claimed to work for BT. He told her she needed to pay an outstanding bill of £11.
The man threatened to cut her off if she did not pay immediately, with a £75 charge to be reconnected.
The thought of being cut off frightened the woman, who lives on her own.
“I was starting to panic,” she said. “After collapsing with pains in my chest last November and finding myself on the floor unable to get up, I have tried to get phones in every room.”
After giving the details of her Lloyds TSB debit card, the man pretended to put the payment through, then claimed it was not accepted and asked for another card. He repeated this process with her credit card and asked for another, claiming she had no credit.
“He was quite threatening,” she said. “At this point, I started thinking this is not right so I said ‘how do I know that you are from BT?’”
The caller responded: “I can cut you off. Put your phone down and then try to use it.”
The victim later realised the caller had merely stayed on the line to ensure she couldn’t get through when she tried to call out. He phoned again, threatening further charges, but she hung up and contacted the police and her bank.
Money has disappeared from two of her accounts but Lloyds TSB is now monitoring the situation and she hopes to be reimbursed.
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