Don't fall for scammers: Woman in London lost £12000
8/27/2022, 03:59 PM
A woman from West London has lost over £12,000 in a cryptocurrency scam. Angelica Lopez, from Ruislip, thought she was investing in a legitimate company who promised her she'd make money on her investments.
She was initially contacted on Instagram but the scammer then moved the conversation to WhatsApp. At one stage she spoke to the CEO of the company, who reassured her it was all above board. The company's website also convinced her it was legitimate.
She paid £12,470.50 in instalments and began to see money accumulate. When she thought she'd accumulated a good profit she asked to withdraw some of her investment and was told she would have to pay a fee. Each time she asked to take money out the fee increase and Angelica was eventually told she couldn't withdraw her money because her bank wasn't properly registered with the cryptocompany.
Concerned by this, Angelica contacted Santander who advised her she had been scammed and to stop making payments. The scamming company continues to message her asking her to continue investing. Angelica is now seeking to recover the losses with legal advice from firm Angelus Law.
Martin McKenna, legal operations manager at Angelus Law, explained, "Angelica Lopez is in a situation which many people find themselves in. Criminal activity in relation to fraud and complex scams are increasing. Well meaning and vulnerable people are being taken advantage of and incurring substantial losses.
Banks share a responsibility to protect their customers and act in a manner which should be expected from an ordinary prudent banker. Some banks have been slow to protect their customers from convincing scams. It is vital that we protect innocent people from being put in difficulties as a consequence of the actions of others."
He continued, "We have the utmost sympathy for all those who fall victim to the criminals who perpetrate these scams. We provide customers with clear warnings about scams across all our banking channels before they make a payment and have comprehensive fraud prevention systems in place to protect them.
Where customers do fall victim to a scam, we are part of a voluntary industry reimbursement code. We would strongly urge everyone to verify who they are investing with before making payments."
She was initially contacted on Instagram but the scammer then moved the conversation to WhatsApp. At one stage she spoke to the CEO of the company, who reassured her it was all above board. The company's website also convinced her it was legitimate.
She paid £12,470.50 in instalments and began to see money accumulate. When she thought she'd accumulated a good profit she asked to withdraw some of her investment and was told she would have to pay a fee. Each time she asked to take money out the fee increase and Angelica was eventually told she couldn't withdraw her money because her bank wasn't properly registered with the cryptocompany.
Concerned by this, Angelica contacted Santander who advised her she had been scammed and to stop making payments. The scamming company continues to message her asking her to continue investing. Angelica is now seeking to recover the losses with legal advice from firm Angelus Law.Martin McKenna, legal operations manager at Angelus Law, explained, "Angelica Lopez is in a situation which many people find themselves in. Criminal activity in relation to fraud and complex scams are increasing. Well meaning and vulnerable people are being taken advantage of and incurring substantial losses.
Banks share a responsibility to protect their customers and act in a manner which should be expected from an ordinary prudent banker. Some banks have been slow to protect their customers from convincing scams. It is vital that we protect innocent people from being put in difficulties as a consequence of the actions of others."
He continued, "We have the utmost sympathy for all those who fall victim to the criminals who perpetrate these scams. We provide customers with clear warnings about scams across all our banking channels before they make a payment and have comprehensive fraud prevention systems in place to protect them.Where customers do fall victim to a scam, we are part of a voluntary industry reimbursement code. We would strongly urge everyone to verify who they are investing with before making payments."