Scammers strip Nailsworth pensioner's bank account after purse con
SCAMMERS stripped a pensioner's bank account and credit card of almost £1,000 after dipping into her purse.
Within 15 minutes, £100 had been spent at a bookmakers then another £150, followed by £740 on her credit card within two hours.
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Police told her it's the second incident of its kind in Nailsworth and the 75-year-old victim wants others to be aware of how easy it is to fall prey to tricksters.
Initially, the woman asked her for change.
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"I had just put the shopping in the car and was about to get in when she stopped me and asked to change £2," said the woman, who did not wish to be named.
"She was Eastern European or mid-European and I had never seen her before.
"I opened my purse and got out some £1 coins but she didn't want them. She kept pointing her finger in the coin section of my purse, saying 'no, no, £10'.
"I told her I didn't have any but she kept insisting.
"I still don't know how she did it but she took credit and debit cards."
She praised fraud investigators at her bank for quickly calling her after they'd seen two payments for £100 and £150 made at a bookmakers in Stonehouse. A third attempt to take money on the debit card failed because it would have taken the account over the withdrawal limit. It was later discovered that £740 was spent on her credit card.
"NatWest have been absolutely brilliant and refunded me," said the woman, from Nailsworth. "I would just say, sadly, 'Don't be helpful'."
The incident happened between 2.45pm and 3pm in the Nailsworth Mills car park, next to Morrisons supermarket on March 8.
She said police told her a similar con had been committed in the same place the previous week.
Inspector Andy Poole said it is working with the public to make everyone aware of distraction thefts.
"If you are confronted with this type of instance in the future, always be on your guard and make sure that you don't allow your own personal security to be compromised," he said.
"If anyone has any information on this incident, please call 101."
6 Comments
by QwertyOS
Wednesday, March 20 2013, 12:19PM
“Beware of another scam. A few weeks ago in Tesco car park, I was approached by a young lady who asked for a pound coin for the trolley. As I unloaded the bags into the car, she tried to pat me down and offered to look into my pockets. I do not know what got my back up more, the fact she tried it on, or that I looked vulnerable enough for her to think she could get away with it.
I told her to where to go in an extremely rude manner. I clocked at least one bloke who was lurking nearby whom she later scarpered with. They legged it on foot with no car plate to note down. I mentioned this to Tesco, but apparently no crime had taken place.”
by bonzaharris1
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 4:42PM
“Stealing from the elderley and infirm, is the act of scum not fit to be referred to as a member of the human race. Why did they steal from this lady, to place a couple of bets down the bookies, absolute filthy thieving scum. Still they will be old one day, lets hope they get their just desserts, by then society will have no doubt degenerated even further.”
by FreeRadical1
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:33PM
“I agree that the victim must have somehow allowed the criminal to know her PIN.”
by spindles12
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 10:53AM
“What's wrong with this website where it tells you there's some reason why it can't post the message and then it does it, twice.”
by spindles12
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 10:48AM
“Did the lady also have her pin number with her cards as I don't see how they could have used either the debit or credit card without it, unless it was all done over the phone when you just have to give the security number on the back of the card. I keep my cards in a separate place to my coin purse so it would be harder for this to happen. Some years ago the Fraud Department of the credit card company rang because there had been suspicious purchases in America and thankfully the card had been declined. Another time the card was declined because the police had found a long list of credit card numbers when they did a raid and informed the card companies so everyone on the list presumably was issued with a new card as I was, another lucky escape.
One lady recently donated a handbag to a charity shop and I bought it. When I got home I was looking through the bag and found a debit card AND a pin number. Luckily the letter with the pin number had the lady's address on it and I looked her up in the phone book, rang her and she collected the card but, had I been less trustworthy, I could have emptied her bank account in an instant.
It's all too easy to let your guard slip when drawing out money or even shopping. I saw one young woman in a supermarket, handbag on top of the trolley, wide open with purse on view while she had her back to it and was chatting away on her mobile, totally oblivious to her surroundings. I'm afraid people like that sometimes deserve to be robbed!”
by spindles12
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 10:47AM
“Did the lady also have her pin number with her cards as I don't see how they could have used either the debit or credit card without it, unless it was all done over the phone when you just have to give the security number on the back of the card. I keep my cards in a separate place to my coin purse so it would be harder for this to happen. Some years ago the Fraud Department of the credit card company rang because there had been suspicious purchases in America and thankfully the card had been declined. Another time the card was declined because the police had found a long list of credit card numbers when they did a raid and informed the card companies so everyone on the list presumably was issued with a new card as I was, another lucky escape.
One lady recently donated a handbag to a charity shop and I bought it. When I got home I was looking through the bag and found a debit card AND a pin number. Luckily the letter with the pin number had the lady's address on it and I looked her up in the phone book, rang her and she collected the card but, had I been less trustworthy, I could have emptied her bank account in an instant.
It's all too easy to let your guard slip when drawing out money or even shopping. I saw one young woman in a supermarket, handbag on top of the trolley, wide open with purse on view while she had her back to it and was chatting away on her mobile, totally oblivious to her surroundings. I'm afraid people like that sometimes deserve to be robbed!”