THE DAUGHTER of an elderly Cumbrian woman conned out of more than £320,000 has added her support to a police campaign to raise awareness of telephone scams.

The victim, a north Cumbrian woman in her 80s, was defrauded out of the money after a fraudster persuaded her to move money as part of a so-called ‘investment’.

Her daughter, who wishes to remain anonymous, described the scammers as ‘unscrupulous individuals’.

“My parents were both fiercely independent with their own financial affairs, and I had no reason to doubt their capabilities regarding such matters, but my father passed away a number of years ago, leaving my mother in sole charge," she said.

“The first sign that things weren’t quite right was when the financial advisor called me to say my mother had moved some money out of an account he had set up for her, so I questioned her about it.

“She said it was being done through the bank, but in fact, this money was going to a cold caller who had rung a number of times and befriended my mother, making out he was part of a large financial firm in London.

“He rang numerous times for a chat, and bolstered his background story, persuading her to invest in his company to earn far more than she was getting. She transferred the money in several lump sums."

The victim’s daughter urged members of the public to ensure the finances of their elderly relatives were safe.

“Please, please, make sure you safeguard your elderly relatives from these unscrupulous individuals,” she added.

Over the past year, Cumbria Constabulary has received many similar calls involving fraudsters purporting to be from a range of organisations, including HMRC, banks, courts and police.

These scammers tell victims that they owe money – whether that be in tax, parking offences, or some other form of debt, and often give a deadline to meet for payment.

Police officers have worked with bank staff to give them the confidence to identify where a customer is being coerced or tricked into withdrawing or transferring money.

Detective Sergeant Stephanie Goulding said: “We are doing everything we can, working with others, in the fight against these criminals to protect the public, particularly the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, these figures will not show a true reflection of the problem because there will be many victims who are afraid to report the crime.

“We’d encourage anyone who thinks they have been a victim of fraud to contact us and Action Fraud. Don’t be intimidated by the scammers or ashamed, and let us help you."

Key points:

- Never give your personal details

- Never give your bank details

- Do not make any payments

- Do not trust the caller display

- Do not be rushed or intimidated

- Never be afraid to hang up

- Not to be afraid to report fraud, and not to be afraid to say not to anyone suspected of being a fraudster

Cumbria Police have created flyers and advice cards to remind people what they should be aware of when on the phone.

A webchat has also been set up, which allows people to ask anonymous questions about fraud, and have these answered by specialist fraud officers. This will run until April 8 and can be found at: https://www.cumbria.police.uk/Advice-Centre/Crime-Prevention/Fraud-Webchat.aspx