A WIDOW from Kendal has been scammed out of £20,000 after falling victim to a manipulative telephone fraudster.

A callous criminal claiming to be a member of the Metropolitan Police's Fraud Squad convinced the pensioner that her account had been compromised and pressured her into moving her life savings into a 'secret bank account'.

The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, says the ordeal has left her feeling 'sick' and 'shaken'.

She is one of 50 people in South Lakeland who have reported telephone fraud scams to Action Fraud so far this year.

In total, 268 Cumbrians have fallen victim to fraud this year according to the Office of National Statistics.

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A man claiming to be Detective Constable David Warren called his elderly victim and told her that records showed somebody had tried to withdraw 3,000 Euros from her bank account.

He told her to transfer her money into a 'secure account' immediately to avoid losing it all.

He ordered her to go to the bank, Santander on Stricklandgate, Kendal, and made her stay on the line so he could track her movements, telling her she could be arrested if she did not comply.

To convince the victim that this was not a scam, the fraudster asked her to phone the number on the back of her debit card and ask the bank to confirm that there had been suspicious activity.

But the conman stayed on the line and pretended to be somebody from the bank which fooled the victim into thinking the call was genuine and she followed his instructions to the letter - putting £20,000 into a Natwest account.

"I was suspicious but he sounded so persuasive and genuine," she said.

"He told me to go to the building society and transfer the money into a secure account.

"I had to leave him on the line the whole time and he was constantly checking where I was.

"He said that if the bank clerk questioned the transaction I should just say it was for building work and I had to let him know as soon as I had done it.

"I was getting so anxious."

On her way home she decided to call into Kendal police station and report the incident but it was too late to stop her money leaving her account.

"I wish I'd thought of going to the police on my way there but he was pressuring me on the phone," said the victim.

Speaking about how the incident made her feel she said: "I'm shaken by it. I'm just living in hope that I get it back. I feel such a fool now but at the time you think you are doing the right thing."

Santander said there has 'certainly been an increase in these scams' and confirmed it has managed to recover £15,000 of the victim's money, but the remaining amount will probably be lost forever.

A Santander spokesperson said: "We will take all possible steps to recover the money, but this depends on the type of transaction and a major element of this will be to contact the other bank and determine what recovery could be possible. We work closely with all regulatory and enforcement agencies and the police. Staff are told to look out for strange transactions and they have regular meetings about it. Every week they have internal training. It's done on a case by case basis - people keep an eye out and make a judgement call."

A second elderly woman, also from the Kendal area, received a call from the same man.

She was told to move money into a ‘secret police account’ but transferred it into her son’s account and reported it to police after becoming suspicious.

Penny Pullinger, Client and Community Services Manager at Age Concern South Lakeland, believes when fraudsters hear an elderly person on the other end of the phone they are inclined to be more forceful and that she has "noticed an increase in people who have said they have been contacted (by fraudsters) in the last couple of months".

Cumbria Police have now passed these cases on to Action Fraud.

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said: “Telephone fraud is an elaborate operation that has become more common in the last two years; fraudsters are becoming increasingly inventive with the ways that they defraud victims on the phone. Sadly they will deliberately target those that they think may be vulnerable and more susceptible to their scam.

"Once money has been lost to fraudsters it’s hard to recover as it’s very difficult to trace where the money goes, especially if the victim gives the fraudster access to their bank account.”

Cumbria Police's Inspector John Sherlock gave the following advice on how to avoid being scammed:

- Police officers will never ask for a person's bank details

- They will always say what station they are attached to

- If unsure, ask for the officer's collar number

- Use a different phone to dial 101 and check-up the officer's identity

- If genuine, the operator will connect a caller through to the officer

- If in doubt, hang up the phone

- For more advice contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040