A Good Morning Britain presenter has recalled the shame he felt after losing a huge sum of money when being targeted by phone scammers.
Noel Phillips, who is the show’s North America Correspondent, opened up about his experience to Ed Balls and Kate Garraway on Wednesday (6 August).
In a pre-recorded segment, Phillips said that he lost $30,000 (£22,000) after scammers, pretending to be from Chase Bank, rang him and said that his account had been compromised.
Phillips said that he was dubious about the call, so he rang the number back and was connected to the bank’s actual customer service line, making him think it was legitimate.
When he received another call from the scammers, Phillips said that the bank’s app sent him a notification saying that he had been locked out of his account.
“The fraudsters convinced me that I needed to transfer my money into a separate account, which they said had my name on it,” Phillips explained.
“They then persuaded me that the staff were responsible for the fraud,” he added. “So, therefore, I should avoid informing them of what was happening.”
After Garraway asked Phillips how he was feeling about the situation now, he admitted to still being in “disbelief” and had been left “lying on my kitchen on the floor, numb and just refusing to accept that I did something so stupid”.
He added that he felt “ashamed” and that the mental impact had left him in “excruciating pain”.
In a statement from Chase Bank, the company said: “These types of scams are heartbreaking. We urge all consumers to ignore all phone, texts or internet requests to move money or gain access to their computer or bank accounts. Banks and legitimate companies won’t make these requests that scammers will.”
Phillips said in response to the statement: “I think it’s outrageous that hundreds of people who fall victim to these sorts of scams are left to pick up the pieces. There are elderly people, whom I have spoken to and young people – we often have the perception that it’s our parents or grandparents who are the victims of these scams. Scammers don’t discriminate.”
Unwanted calls, from robocall sales pitches to scam attempts, have reached epidemic levels, according to consumer groups. In the UK, companies must obtain your consent before making automated marketing calls. This rule is stipulated by Ofcom, the communications regulator.
You can report offending calls or messages to various bodies depending on their nature, including Ofcom, your phone provider, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), Action Fraud, or even the police.
