A fraudster transferred £7,000 out of an Armagh woman’s bank account after she was caught up in a cruel scam, it has been revealed.
And the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Policing and Community Safety Partnership is warning others to be wary of this ruse.
The PCSP said the woman received a phone call with an automated message purporting to be her internet provider.
The recorded message informed her that due to a virus in the broadband they would be turning off her internet to fix it.
The message said that if she wanted to speak to someone about this to press ‘1’.
The PCSP explained: “The lady did so and spoke to a person who said he would try to resolve the issue.
“He asked her to type some things on her computer, which eventually led to a message on the screen saying that there were ‘x’ number of viruses with the internet connection.
“The person then offered her £200 to compensate her and was asked to type in some more things.
“After a few minutes the lady’s online banking screen displayed, even though she had never logged in.
“£7,000 had been transferred from ISAs into her current account, and then out of the current account and into the fraudster’s account.”
There are reports of other local people receiving similar calls and people are being urged not to follow the instructions and playing into the hoaxer’s hands.
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