Motoring group is hit by phone scam
Fraudster tricks organisation into paying out £1,800
A LEADING motoring organisation has been tricked into paying out £1,800 to a fraudster in a nationwide scam that is sweeping West Berkshire.
Now the Newbury-based organisation wants to warn other businesses of this cunning ruse.
A spokesman for the organisation, who does not wish to be named, recalled that the fraudster contacted them by telephone, claiming that he was from the communications company TalkTalk.
He said that TalkTalk had discovered the organisation’s computer had been hacked into, and that £200 would be sent in compensation.
A short time later, the fraudster made a second call, this time claiming that £2,000 had been sent in error, and asking for £1,800 to be returned.
Believing the call to be genuine, the organisation sent a cheque for £1,800 to the address given by the fraudster.
Then to its horror, the organisation, on checking its bank account, found that the £2,000 had never been received, and that the £1,800 had been paid to the fraudster direct from its own funds.
The spokesman said: “We’ve been stung. The guy was so plausible that you just had to believe him. Now we want to warn others, so that they don’t fall into the same trap.”
The chairwoman of Newbury and Thatcham Neighbourhood Watch, Angela Money, said: “This is a nasty new scam that has reached West Berkshire, having already been reported to police in other parts of the country.
“I’m aware of the Newbury organisation being targeted, and it comes as no surprise that it responded in the way it did, as these fraudsters always sound helpful and genuine.
“I can’t stress too strongly that everyone needs to be on guard against these people and never to part with any money or personal details.”
TalkTalk spokesman Charles Whitney said: “A limited amount of data concerning our business customers has been accessed illegally.
“We have informed customers that suspicious activity was going on, and that people were being targeted for bank fraud.
“TalkTalk is treating it very seriously and working with various organisations to help our customers.”