A County Antrim pensioner in his 80s has lost £200,000 to scammers after cold callers offered him bogus investments. His daughter, Laura, who asked for her surname to be withheld to protect her father from further embarrassment, has spoken out to warn others with elderly parents to be vigilant.
Laura discovered the fraud when she noticed bank statements showing large sums being withdrawn. 'There were a couple of bank statements that dad had lying around the living room. We saw some very large cheques and sums of money being taken out,' she said. 'We realised there was an amount of £15,000 going out to a wine company which we thought was very odd.'
The pensioner was persuaded to invest in wine, property, and carbon credits, all of which turned out to be fraudulent. Carbon credits are legitimate investments but are often used by scammers targeting small investors. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warns that carbon credit schemes are generally unregulated, making it difficult to recover lost money.
Laura contacted the local police and the City of London Police, but the money could not be retrieved. 'They may still try to track them down. We have not heard much back, which is a shame. So you have no immediate help. It is really up to you as a family member to stop it,' she said.
