Would you fall for a £17,000 scam? You might think you are too smart, but criminals keep coming up with frighteningly convincing ways of parting us from our hard-earned cash. Figures released last week showed that online fraud hit a new record in 2021, with under-35s increasingly the target of ‘impersonation scams’. Fewer than half of those tricked into transferring cash to criminals ever get their money back from their bank. Victims include 31-year-old Money Clinic listener Jenny. In this repeat episode, she tells presenter Claer Barrett about how professional scammers conned her out of £17,000 in April 2021 after she clicked on a text message — and the compensation battle she’s been fighting since then. Bank fraud expert Steven McMillan provides practical advice on how to spot scams and Gareth Shaw from Which? tells listeners how to get compensation if they fall victim. Next week, we will reveal what happened when Claer helped Jenny to take her case to the financial ombudsman.

For more on the online fraud ‘epidemic’ in the UK:

https://www.ft.com/content/df5c61b1-3430-45c3-976a-3af8789a2dae

Claer’s column on record online fraud in the UK:

https://www.ft.com/content/a6c5ab95-7be4-432c-83a5-79b7471afc1a

To learn more about making a claim using the Financial Ombudsman service:

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

To stay on top of the latest scams being reported:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

If you would like to appear as a future guest on Money Clinic podcast, email the team via money@ft.com or send Claer a message on Instagram, Twitter or TikTok - she’s @Claerb

Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love and Philippa Goodrich. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music

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Repeat: I lost £17,000 to a fraudster

Money Clinic with Claer Barrett

Repeat: I lost £17,000 to a fraudster