The Traitors star Sam Little has revealed he was conned out of £40,000 after falling victim to a sophisticated cryptocurrency scam that emptied his account in a matter of minutes.
The Faithful contestant from the latest series of the BBC hit opened up about the ordeal in an emotional video on social media, explaining how fraudsters tricked him into calling what he believed was the customer service number for his cryptocurrency platform.
Warning others about the increasingly convincing tactics used by scammers, Little said police later told him it is no longer a question of if someone will be targeted, but when.
“I have a rule that I never answer calls from numbers I don't have saved,” he explained. “But they got me to ring them.”
The scam began when he received several text messages that appeared to come from his cryptocurrency provider over three days, claiming there had been repeated attempts to access his account and urging him to call a UK telephone number.
When he rang, he was connected to what he described as a “knowledgeable and helpful” adviser who appeared to know details about his account without asking for passwords or verification codes.
Little believes the fraudsters had created a convincing fake version of the platform and used fear tactics to pressure him into securing his account, when in reality they were gaining control of it.
“It was £40,000 across a number of investments,” he said.
The reality star described the moment his wife searched the phone number online and discovered it had already been linked to phishing scams as “sickening”.
He said: “My heart just fell through the floor. By that point, it was too late. They'd emptied everything.”
The 35-year-old said the money had been set aside for the future, including plans to start a family with his self-employed wife.
“You work hard for years to build something up and then it's gone in an instant,” he said.
Speaking to the BBC, Little added: “They didn't ask me for any passwords. They didn't ask me for any verification codes.
“They were somehow able to hack into the webpage I would normally interact with. Before I knew it, the phone went dead and everything had gone.”
He reported the incident to Action Fraud, run by the City of London Police, but says the money has not been recovered and no investigation has yet been launched.
Little said he decided to speak publicly in the hope of preventing others from falling victim to similar scams, adding: “I like to think I'm savvy, but it can catch anyone.”
