Flintshire man 'angry' after £15k stolen in scam

A man has spoken of his disbelief and anger after £15,000 was taken from his account in a scam.

Trevor Pye, of Gorsedd, Flintshire, said he was called by someone claiming to work for BT and was told his internet had been "compromised".

He said he allowed the caller remote access to his computer, before the money was taken.

BT said it would never call to ask for remote computer access or ask for personal information unexpectedly.

North Wales Police is investigating.

Mr Pye, 68, a stairlift engineer, said he rushed to his bank after he realised he had been duped - who confirmed that £15,000 had been taken out of his account.

"I was so angry with myself... I couldn't believe it," he said.

"I'm of the age where you respect police, you believe people."

He added that £25,000 had almost been taken from his business account, but that had been blocked by the bank.

Mr Pye does not know if he will get the money back, and explained: "I've resigned myself to the fact that it's gone."

He said he was normally "a good judge of character", and said: "I just got sucked in."

A BT spokesman said: "We'll never call a customer to ask for remote access to their computer or ask for personal information, including bank details unexpectedly and we'll never call from an 'unknown' number.

"If you're suspicious, or uncomfortable about what's being asked, we always recommend that you hang up the phone, and call the customer service number of the company that is supposedly asking for access to your computer or your personal information."

Det Con Rachel Roberts, financial abuse safeguarding officer for North Wales Police, said: "Fraudsters can be very convincing and forceful on the telephone.

"We would like to remind the public never to give out any personal financial details to anyone you don't know over the phone, or allow access to their computer, as banks and legitimate providers will never request such action."