Real stories

I have dementia and I was targeted by scammers

Earlier this year, scammers cleaned out my current account. They tried to clean out my savings account too. 

I’ve been in IT for 40 years and also in the police force. So, I am pretty switched on when it comes to scams. But even I was conned. 

I had a phone call from a gentleman who claimed to be from the Barclays Bank fraud department. 

He told me he was investigating fraud by members of the fraud team. 

Building trust

He said he needed my help to catch them, so immediately I wanted to help. But my suspicions were aroused. 

I said to him, ‘How do I know you are who you say you are?’ 

He told me he knew that I’d received a new bank card a few days before. 

I thought I was following all the advice about ringing the bank back, but I was transferred to the same person. I honestly believed I was talking to the real McCoy. 

Sophisticated scam

He asked me to transfer £2,500. I said I didn’t have that much, but I did have about £1,800. 

He told me that if Barclays’ fraud team rang me, I should tell them it was for my aunt. So that’s what I did. 

I thought I was helping somebody catch a thief, but I was helping the thief. 

They shouldn’t have asked me to transfer money. But I wasn’t thinking. 

I was only thinking, ‘How can I help?’. They got me through my altruism.

Help to get money back

After about an hour, it occurred to me that there was something fishy. 

I phoned Action Fraud and they urged me to phone the Barclays fraud line. The bank confirmed that I’d been the victim of a scam and put a block on it.

Action Fraud were great. They explained the next steps to me and how I might get my money back. 

Barclays reimbursed me in full and as soon as I told them that I was living with dementia, they put a flag on my account and took extra care to look after me. 

Feeling vulnerable with dementia

I felt vulnerable again, especially with my dementia. 

Things were going well, and I was doing things independently. Then suddenly I had to tell my wife I had cleared out the bank account. It was an awful feeling. 

My advice to people would be, you’re only human. If you get scammed it’s because the scammers are preying on your goodwill. 

Don’t be ashamed – learn from it and pass the word around so that other people don’t fall for it. 

Just mentioning scams every now and then keeps it on people’s minds. The next time they open an email or answer the phone, they’ll be on their guard.

We asked Action Fraud for advice on what to do when you get a call out of the blue claiming to be your bank and asking you to transfer money. They said:

• Remember that genuine organisations like banks will never call asking you to transfer money, share personal financial information, or hand over control of your computer.
• If a phone call doesn’t feel right or you are being pressured, hang up and take time to ensure the call is genuine.
• Don’t call back immediately. Wait a few minutes as fraudsters use sophisticated technology enabling them to stay on the same phoneline they just called you on. If you can, call back from a different phone number, perhaps a mobile if you were called on a landline, so that a criminal cannot keep the line open.
• To ensure you contact your bank directly, use the contact details from the back of your bank card or call 159.

159 is a hotline number that can put you through to your bank quickly and securely. It works in the same way as 101 for the police and was set up by an organisation called Stop Scams UK.

If you’ve been a victim of fraud, report to your bank immediately and report to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.

This article was updated on 15 July 2024 with additional advice and to reflect the fact how, although Pete believed he was calling his bank back, he was transferred back to the fraudsters.