Millie Clark told ITV’s This Morning how she was tricked into providing her personal details and emptying her business account. In a sophisticated scam, fraudsters convinced her they were from HSBC by calling from the same number used by her bank.
The fraudster went to great lengths to convince Millie he was genuine and even built rapport with her.
Millie warned viewers: “Anybody that rings you, hang up.
“Call them back on a different line because they can even hold the line open.
“If you ring back straight away you can even end up speaking to the scammers again so call back on a different line.”
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She continued: “Mostly with the bank stuff they will never ring you and that’s what they’ve told me since.
“Just be aware that numbers can be spoofed – I didn’t know that and that’s what got me.
A HSBC UK spokesperson said: “Protecting customers from scams is a priority for us and we are sorry to hear Ms Clarke fell victim to a fraudster.
“We fully investigate every case and take guidance from the CRM code to ensure fair and reasonable outcomes for customers. As this case highlights, fraudsters are criminals who use a range of techniques to exploit their victims and convince them they are genuine.
“We want all our customers to be alert that If you receive an unexpected phone call about money – there’s a good chance it’s a scam. Scammers may claim to be a business or authority you know and trust – like your bank or the police.”
“They may know personal details about you and can even make their phone number look authentic using a technique called ‘number spoofing’. But if someone calls you out of the blue and asks you to move money or share your account details, just hang up.
“We will never call and ask you for personal details or full passwords, PINs or security codes.
“A scammer may ask you to transfer money to a ‘safe account’ or a known beneficiary as your account has been compromised, withdraw cash and hand it over to the police for investigation, press a number on your keypad to speak with a customer service representative (a fraudster in disguise), or share personal or financial details.”
The dog trainer lost £22,000 from her business account and in loans and an overdraft that was taken out in her name.
She has since had the money returned but says she is one of the lucky ones.
“I was one of the lucky ones. Most people don’t get their money back.”
People can report a suspicious message or phone call to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
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