BBC programme today on an extreme case of Courier Fraud

Murmansk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00174dd

this is incredible in a number of respects: the skill of the fraudsters in grooming people, the fact that the bank didn't spot a pattern of about 500 withdrawals, the fact that a retired GP and physics lecturer fell for it and then bought Rolex watches and gold bullion on the word of  someone who rang them and told them he was from the police!

Thrugelmir

Fraudsters tend to be one step ahead all the time. Exposing peoples guilibility is as old as the hills. 

grumbler

It's really boring to listen all this and hard to believe that educated people in their right mind can fall for that.

tempus_fugit

grumbler said:

It's really boring to listen all this and hard to believe that educated people in their right mind can fall for that.

Agreed. They say oh it's educated people falling for this so it could happen to you too. Erm, no, there's no way someone is going to persuade me to buy gold bullion or watches just on their say so, These "new" scams are always variations on ones that are old as the hills, and yet seemingly intelligent people fall for them. When are people going to learn?

General_Grant

I heard the programme when broadcast.

The Police like to say that anyone could fall victim.  The member of the police who was on the programme said even he could!  The couple who were conned, kept saying people ought to be told about this.  One wonders how many occasions they themselves missed hearing what was being said about this type of crime during the long period of time they were caught up in this.

Daliah

It’s people like this couple who we can thank for ever increasing fraud checks on our own, perfectly legit, transactions. In fact, the reporters criticised the bank several times for not having intervened. No criticism about the gullible couple, strangely, and no obvious enbarrassment by the couple for having been so stupid.

The positive news in this case is that the GP and the University Physics Lecturer are retired, so patients and students are no longer exposed to them.

sheramber

General_Grant said:

I heard the programme when broadcast.

The Police like to say that anyone could fall victim.  The member of the police who was on the programme said even he could!  The couple who were conned, kept saying people ought to be told about this.  One wonders how many occasions they themselves missed hearing what was being said about this type of crime during the long period of time they were caught up in this.

They probably ignored anything as  'nothing to do with them'.

[Deleted User]

I must say I’m surprised they were paid the money back. Buying Rolex watches and leaving your cards on the doorstep? Do me a favour…..

badger09

I haven’t listened to the programme but never cease to be amazed at these stories. They often feature in Which? Money, and Which? is invariably jubilant at having persuaded the bank or card provider to reimburse in full. 

I thought I was just a grumpy old woman when my usual reaction is “Seriously? A full refund because the bank didn’t do enough to protect them?Whatever happened to common sense and personal responsibility?” Followed closely by “I’m paying for your stupidity”😡

WillPS

badger09 said:

 Followed closely by “I’m paying for your stupidity”😡

How much do you pay your bank for your current account services?

General_Grant

WillPS said:

badger09 said:

 Followed closely by “I’m paying for your stupidity”😡

How much do you pay your bank for your current account services?

There are lots of ways in which the rest of us "pay" for the refunds.