A taxi driver saved an elderly woman from losing her entire savings to scammers.
Don Welby, from Nailsea and Backwell Taxis, said alarm bells started ringing when the 87-year-old said she was about to withdraw all the money from her bank account.
His quick-thinking then stopped the fraudsters from duping the potential victim.
Don said they were chatting in his taxi while he drove her to Natwest in Clevedon.
The pensioner said she'd received a call from her bank notifying her there had been fraudulent action and she now needed to remove all her money and send it with a courier to a safe new account.
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Immediately, Don knew something was amiss.
"I drive a lot of people with dementia." he said.
"You start to feel quite responsible for them, you want to look out for them.
"She wasn't a regular customer, she was a very elderly lady. I said 'are you sure that's not a scam? She replied 'oh no, they wouldn't scam me, I'm too savvy for that.
"When we arrived, she got out the passenger's door and I rushed out of the driver's door ahead of her.
"I told the receptionist I thought she was being scammed and the bank took over from there.
"I phoned my office and they called the police and between the police and the bank they worked out it was a scam."
Don said he was happy to have been able to help and had previously been given training on spotting vulnerable people.
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For his actions he has been praised by the bank, police and the family of the victim brought in presents to his taxi firm.
Det Sgt Marc Milliner of the Avon and Somerset Police’s Complex Crime Unit. said: “His quick-thinking action has potentially saved the victim from being duped out of her life savings.
“We hope other taxi drivers and those providing a courier collection service will take this on board and alert us if they are asked to take elderly and vulnerable people to withdraw cash from their banks or are asked to collect packages from people on behalf of police officers or bank officials.”
