A retired bookkeeper has told how she sobbed for days after cruel scammers raided her bank account as she watched in horror.
The 74-year-old victim, from Linwood, lost almost £2,000 when she allowed crooks posing as Virgin Media access to her bank account.
She told the Paisley Daily Express how callous fraudsters took control of her laptop - and even took a picture of her face after taking over her mobile phone.
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The distraught victim revealed how she fell foul of the criminal's devious ploy when they called claiming to be from Virgin Media.
She said: “A girl called on Tuesday and said she was from Virgin Media, she even knew my name.
“She said she was phoning because my internet hub was slow and she was going to fix it. I believed her because I had just been talking to my son about how slow it was ... so it all sounded very plausible.”
Two days later she received another call from the crooks, who spoke with Indian accents, saying they were going to give her cash as a goodwill gesture.
“I thought they were genuine. I said 'Fine go ahead', then he asked for my bank details. I gave him them thinking it was all safe," she said.
“By this time though he had installed apps on my phone to take over my computer. I could see he was on my computer and in my bank account. He was taking £900. I could see in happening in front of me.
“I was screaming at him on the phone.
“He was on for around three hours and eventually it got to 5pm and he said the banks would be closed so he couldn’t give me any money and that he would call in the morning.”
The woman, who asked not to be named to maintain her privacy, said the man on the other end of the line even convinced her to hold the phone to her face so he could take her picture.
“I have no idea what it was for, maybe they want to steal my identity for a passport or something. He said it was for bank purposes,” she added.
“By the Thursday I knew I had been scammed. He called again on the Friday morning and I told him I had been to my bank and the police. He started shouting at me.”
She has now been left feeling vulnerable by the ordeal and has warned others not to fall for the same trick.
“I have never felt so low in all my life. I felt horrible. I’m not a cry baby but on the Friday morning I sobbed and sobbed. I could put my head in an oven,” she added.
“I want to tell my story in the hope that it will prevent others from falling for the same thing as me.
“My main advice is ‘Trust no one’. Hang up if you are not sure and phone the company direct.
“And definitely do not give people your bank account details or online banking details over the phone, no matter how legitimate or plausible they sound.
“I’m a bookkeeper, I know money. I should have known better.
“If I can stop just one person from falling into the scam by telling my story then it will be worth it.”
Inspector Tracy Harkins, deputy area commander for Renfrewshire, said: "We are continuing to make people aware of these types of scams, which are often very sophisticated.
"Frauds such as this can be made via telephone, email or text message and perpetrators can be very convincing. If you receive this type of contact do not respond in any way.
"Do not click on any links within the messages and do not transfer money or account details over the phone. If you are in any doubt, contact your bank or other organisations by telephone via their official listed numbers. These numbers can generally be found on your statements, phone book or online."
If you have been a victim of online fraud call Police Scotland on 101.
