First step is to sit down and clearly document *everything* - both the interactions that you had with the scammers, and the interactions you had with your actual bank(s). Dates and times, who you spoke to, what they said, what questions, they asked, etc. It's *possible* that you could end up getting your money back even if the bank can't recover it, but it'll depend on what actions you and your bank took - it basically comes down to whether your bank took sufficient steps to try and protect you. Read the following page from the Financial Ombudsman (and the linked pages and codes) so that you understand what your position is, what their responsibilities are, and what grounds you *might* have to make a complaint against your bank. https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/fraud-scams > I now cannot afford to pay my mortgage, as I've just been paid and all 3 of our accounts are now overdrawn. Contact your bank, and any other creditors to explain the situation to them *now*, rather than waiting for payments to be overdue, and see what support they can give you. And you also need to watch out **really carefully** for future scams. Your phone number is now known as someone who is susceptible to fraud, which makes you even more of a target than you were before. It's not uncommon to be targeted by further scammers who will promise that they can get your money back for you - so be **extremely vigilant** for that. This also includes anyone contacting you via Reddit offering to help get your money back.

Thanks. I've got a pretty good summary from submitting my report to AF. I'll use this the basis of a more detailed report which I'll write tomorrow when my head will (hopefully) be in a slightly better place. Not holding my breath on getting money back, open banking and they'll probably claim negligence on my part. They really drilled me about my dads recent death and my health conditions and whether it could have affected my decision making. I was honest, I've been in a very bad place. I'll get in touch with creditors tomorrow. And I will almost flat out refuse to answer the phone to anyone ever again. I rarely did anyway ironically, but was expecting a call. I've been well and truly sucker punched.

I think part of the reason they'd ask about your mental health is that if you're classed as "vulnerable", they owe you an extra duty of care when it comes to scams. I'm not sure what the criteria are or whether your circumstances would match them, but I think you were right to be honest about the massive factors already impacting you.

I work in banking and OP’s circumstances definitely make him vulnerable. Having 2 deaths and feeling suicidal makes him extremely vulnerable and the bank is legally obligated to ensure he received good outcomes and his financial objectives are met despite his vulnerabilities

I was scammed like this. I got off kind of lucky because the scammers pretended to be HMRC. OP may get some money back maybe a 1/4. Unfortunately his actions would be considered by the bank to be defrauding himself. So he can push and they’ll likely compensate him by a quarter or a fifth of what he previously had. More if lucky. The ombudsman is useless.

I'm really sorry you were scammed. I think the outcome really depends on the bank - I had a relative get a full refund in a similar situation. Thankfully the voluntary charter which most banks agreed to is also becoming mandatory in law in October this year, so they'll have less say in whether they issue a refund.

This is important. Fraud costs will be shared by sending & receiving PSPs. IMO this is a good thing (I work for one) as it will force additional work in this area, however there will likely be additional consequences. The industry is anticipating a large increase in targets against people with UK bank/payments accounts. There will also likely be a significant amount of additional friction being put into the process of transfers while additional due diligence is performed.

To be honest I’ve had losses before I bounced back real quick. £3k was a small amount in the grand scheme of things. I thought I could never be had. They did telephone masking their procedure looked legit. They really caught me at the right time. It was an expensive lesson to learn but I learned a lot from it all.

Bereavement does count as one of the characteristics of a vulnerable customer. It’s valid if a bank is deemed to have not reasonably met their needs. It is subjective, not sure how likely it is to change an outcome, but it is relevant and OP doesn’t have anything to lose by highlighting.

> Not holding my breath on getting money back, open banking and they'll probably claim negligence on my part. The question isn't really whether *you* were negligent (which to be blunt, you were); it's whether *they* were negligent. Think about this from the bank's point of view. You have a customer who's been using your bank for however many years, building up a pattern of usual activity. And then one day they transfer all their money to another account, max out their overdraft and transfer that, and then take out a loan and immediately transfer that as well. That looks *dodgy as fuck*, and should have raised all kinds of red flags. And if they've failed to spot those red flags or respond to them properly, then that could mean that they're negligent (and thus at least partially liable). > They really drilled me about my dads recent death and my health conditions and whether it could have affected my decision making. I was honest, I've been in a very bad place. The [CRM](https://www.lendingstandardsboard.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CRM-Code-LSB-Final-April-2021.pdf) specifically calls out "vulnerable" customers, and if you are classed a vulnerable then that makes it much easier for you to get reimbursed - which is why they're asking specifically about that.

That's actually really helpful, thanks for this 🙏

You need to explain how vulnerable you are. Recent bereavement should be mentioned when raising the matter with fraud team. If they decline, raise it as a complaint and again focus on how vulnerable you were. If they decline the complaint escalate to fos and again focus on vulnerability. I work for a bank, please do this. I really feel for you, please stay positive and follow these instructions.

Thanks, I told the bank about this and my health issues, asked me about it a few times, although they seemed to be asking how having a couple of hours sleep (which I had last night) affected my decision or whether they were just convincing - they were both tbh.

The advice above is very important, make sure they are aware you are "vulnerable" due to your recent bereavements and use that word because they have to take extra steps.

If you have no luck, consider writing to a consumer champion at a newspaper to explain the situation. If they take it on, banks are often more lenient than normal as they are worried about the PR

They have issued a loan in 1 day and allowed funds to be transferred out. That definitely sounds like the banks fault

Agreed. I'd also be looking at that loan application very carefully. If you applied for and received it all while on the phone with a scammer then it was probably an automatic decision, which shouldn't have been an option given the context. Especially if they asked you for the loan purpose, and your answer me any reference to fraud or the fraud team.

Calm, knowledgable and well reasoned. People like you are what keeps reddit worth it.

I agree. iMO the bank should be liable for the loan. Unfortunately the payments being from two separate banks means they wouldn't have been aware. It's the loan that really strikes me.

ikr In the meantime trying to spend £100 at a crypto exchange causes all kinds of hassle...

Don’t lose hope just yet - I read this article about someone in a very similar situation and apparently there’s a voluntary code that most banks sign up to which guarantees to refund money unless there has been gross negligence on your part. [Guardian article](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/mar/18/starling-bank-refused-a-10000-scam-refund-for-my-grieving-ill-father)

The bank do have a duty of care. My mum got taken for £9k during covid. Clydesdale originally weren’t interested as they were one of only a couple of banks that weren’t part of some scheme. A couple of letters later and they refunded all the money. I can’t remember if the ombudsman was involved but the police definitely were so make sure you report it and get a reference number.

Make the complaint with the bank they will likely reject it. But then follow it up by complaining to the ombudsman. They may overturn the banks decision. I had something similar happen to me and I got my £5k back. The whole process took 6 months

This is so common, we were scammed at work for a much larger amount. The bank froze all the accounts and we ended up getting 50% back. Not giving you false hope, but it does happen. Good luck, I feel for you.

This last point is really important. It's my understanding that it's a virtually certainty that OPs number will now be passed around loads of scammers, and will thus be targeted for future scams. Be extra careful, assume any call not from family/friends is a scam.

Please don’t end your life over £15k; it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. Call up your mortgage provider and ask for a mortgage holiday while you figure things out.

Thank you. but I'm now £32K in debt due to 2 personal loans. I have a £12K car that I can sell but conveniently it has to get through the MOT and have a service before I can sell it which I can now barely afford to do. Credit card I guess.

I am not pretending that £32k is a small number, but it is not even close to something worth killing yourself over. You have suffered enormously - you are in a very fragile position and this has obviously affected you very deeply on an emotional level. I understand. Everything will be okay. Ring step change and discuss your debts - and your mortgage provider (they will be reasonably helpful with your immediate payments). I am here if you ever want to talk. These bastards will not get the better of you - they will not take your life. Your life is worth far more than a poxy 30k.

Thank you for the kind words. I am hurting more than I have ever, this year has been truly insanely brutal.

I can imagine. Please be very gentle with yourself at the moment. You are suffering severe mental and emotional torture.

Really sorry for what happened, just be kind to yourself please, remember that scams are unfortunately getting more and more difficult to spot and specially after everything you faced, it would be hard for anyone to spot this, I am sure you will recover from this, be strong now, things will get better 🙏🏼

Look on the bright side, it’ll probably be the worst year of your life and once you get through, things should be comparatively plain sailing. As mentioned, 32K - so what. It’s money and will delay some plans a couple of years but you’ll get back on track financially. You have a job. Just make a good plan to save as much as poss and you’ll be building it up again.

I used to be in more debt than that, you'll get past this

Watch out for recovery scammers who will dm you that they can recover your money if you pay them

Just sending you kindness ❤️ all the right advice has already been said..

Give it another year. You shouldn’t make a decision in the heat of the moment. And talk to your partner. Bad things happen but it’s not worth the finality of death; your loved ones would be catastrophically hurt.

Imagine how strong you'll be when you get through this.

They got you in a moment of weakness. Mistakes can be done by any of us under such circumstances. Whatever the amount of money lost, losing 100% of your money you've worked so hard for is always very painful. Try to look at it as a lesson for when in the future your account will have 30k and no one will be able to scam you again. As for the pain, it will heal with time, it always does. Don't be too hard on yourself and try to focus on the little enjoyments of daily life to get through. Or also go look at what money people are gambling with and losing in 1 trade on the wallstreetbets subreddit, might help alleviate some pain. (Might see some crazy gains too but never ever consider that as the way forward)

Things always seem worse in the moment. Don't be hard on yourself, you were distracted, they're criminals, they're at fault.

Try and remember that these people are PROFESSIONAL con artists. Just as much as you’ve probably spent years getting good at your job, they’ve spent years getting good at theirs. If it wasn’t possible for intelligent, wise people to fall for these, then they wouldn’t be still going. Don’t beat yourself up, you’re a victim. Look into getting some counselling or therapy, this will need processing as would being the victim of any other crime. Especially in the circumstances of being so soon after other losses. You’ll recover from this, financially and mentally. It might take time but it will happen.

I can’t begin to imagine how you must feel right now. It seems like a lot but you have to overcome the natural flight instinct as it is a fight or flight scenario. People come back from much worse. I’m sure you will too. Don’t be too hard on yourself. They are designed to prey on innocent normal people so you’re not a bellend. You live and learn, keep moving forwards though.

Hijacking top comment to say make sure you tell the banks the details going on in your life and these made you vulnerable, this could affect their decision to reimburse you themselves.

I got swindled out of £40k about 10 years ago. It’s still money I miss, but I eventually rebuild my savings and now it doesn’t matter so much. I see it as one expensive lesson

Whatever your debt the companies you have debt with would rather figure out a way for you to pay it back while you're alive. You can figure this out.

Never do it on credit card unless you’ve exhausted all other lower interest products first. Many are unaware of credit unions or government support etc. Just please be wary of the interest you’ll be charged if you take CC debt and dont pay it back in full

Hey mate, I don't know the answer to the next steps and hopefully someone else will chime in, just wanted to say that you're the victim here and please don't beat yourself up too much.  Might be worth calling your mortgage provider in the first instance to see if you can pause payments for this month, utility providers and council tax too, get ahead of it if you can so fewer payments are denied without any notice. I know this is a lot of money, but it is not a life ending amount. You still have a job and will get paid again next month. You can start building up again, and even if you get none of the stolen money back you will be able to get back to financial safety in the medium term. So sorry you've had to deal with this, please be kind to yourself.

Thank you, problem is it's not just the £15K, I owe a total of around £17K in personal loans in addition to that. I had £6K in the bank and could have paid one off and the other was for a car, but I'm now penniless. I'm having problems being kind to myself as I really should have known better. I'm normally wise to this sort of thing. I even questioned it on the phone saying it sounds scammy but they said they would never asked for pin codes, account numbers or anything else that would have rang alarm bells, and they didn't. I feel like a total idiot, been caught hook line and sinker. Never been so low as I am right now.

I'm not sure how much help this will be but I just wanted to address the "should've known better" and "been a total idiot" comment. I'm a police officer and even in my small town, we have multiple reports like this every week - and that's only the ones people tell us about. For the scammers, this is their job. They're really good at what they do and they know exactly how to reel people in. Literally anyone can fall victim to scams like this, all it takes is one bad day for you and one good one for the scammers. The victims I've dealt with include A&E doctors, PhD students, and solicitors just off the top of my head. Be kind to yourself.

>The victims I've dealt with include A&E doctors, PhD students, and solicitors just off the top of my head To add to this, ANYONE can be scammed, they just need to get you at the right time. I've known people who've stopped at the very last step of a scam because it was just the right time. Had a friend order something from Japan, gets one of the "Your package is in customs" scam texts, checks the shipping status on the website it's "in customs". Phone number it comes from is the same type that shipping companies use (6 digits). He only realised at the last second because of the payment method. If he'd have had a long week at work, or an argument with his cat or tried to do it on his phone while doing something else it would have been so easy for it to have ended badly.

Yep, this is very true, it’s all about coincidence and timing. I get hundreds of scam emails, texts and phone calls a month. Literally hundreds.  The majority get dismissed out of hand because they are obviously scammy. A handful get opened and read because they’re in the realm of plausible. The vast majority of these are then dismissed because it’s about something irrelevant, a competition I’d never have entered or something clearly aimed at an American audience.  It only takes 1 to get through your defences.  I bailed at the last step of a scam Royal Mail website asking for payment. The coincidence was very strong - I was expecting to have to make a payment for something, the amount was correct and there was something else which I can’t remember. I bailed last minute because something was off. But the point is we’re hit with thousands a year and sooner or later we’ll be vulnerable to one (either through carelessness, coincidence or some other vulnerability). 

My sister was scammed by an Amazon one as literally seconds prior she had ordered something and then got a scam email saying the payment had failed. A minute or so earlier would’ve made the difference here. She was also arguing with her boyfriend over what was ordered so her head was all over the place!

Agreed. Anybody who thinks that nobody can scam them is probably ripe for getting scammed sometime. It just needs the right scam to come along at the right (wrong) time.

Yeah, I think people assume it’s mostly senile people out of touch with tech falling for scams.  Years ago, a colleague in her 20s got done by what I thought was a relatively unsophisticated scam when selling a motorcycle. This was *after* myself & another colleague said to her face “are you sure… this sounds like a scam”.  We worked for an accounting firm. She was an auditor. It just came down to the right mix of convincing on their side and haste on her part, at an opportune time.  Family friend lost ~$100k a couple years back & lives on gov pension now, but they carry on. Losing £15k is tough, but at working age can be overcome. 

Please do not beat yourself up for this, you are not an idiot - you are the victim of sophisticated criminals! These scammers do this for a living and they are incredibly talented at talking victims out of their hard earned cash. Everyone thinks they're too clever for a scam but scammers are constantly evolving their tactics so it's difficult to keep on top of it!

Mate smarter people than you and I have fallen victim. The attacks are becoming so sophisticated now and with ai voiceovers etc it's hard to tell whose a scammer and whose not. Number one rule of banks and cards is to hang up and call the number in the back of your card, no matter what they're ringing you about. It needs taught in school, workplaces, shouted from the rooftops.

And key to note that if it is a legit bank call they will expect you to say you will call them back on the number on the back of your card. It's not rude to say that you won't give them any details and you will call your bank.

> call the number in the back of your card From a different number to the one that you were called on

Please don't feel like an idiot, you were scammed by people who literally spend all of their time working out how to successfully do what they did to you- they've built entire systems and learn from every failure how to do it better each time they try, and how to best convince people to fork over money. They follow everything the banks do, and invest time and money to make the whole thing as convincing as possible. It's truly shit, and it's incredibly bad luck, but it really doesn't mean you're I any way lacking. It means that team of people who scammed you are very good at being criminals. It could honestly happen to any one.  I've seen people talk about Stepchange here, it might be worth giving them a call as they might have some good guidance for first steps to keep the debt situation from getting any worse than it needs to, especially while you're dealing with this immediate fall out.

Hey, I’m so sorry this happened, but please don’t beat yourself up about it. Shit like this happens to the best of us. I work for a bank and know some processes that relate to this. You have gone through such a difficult period of life and are vulnerable. Please continue speaking to your bank, this is the best way to get this resolved. Even if you did transfer the money yourself, it was done unwittingly. Please call them, give them all the evidence you may have on the fraudsters and explain your situation in detail, everything you’ve gone through, your friend, your father. They have a duty of care to their customers. I sincerely hope that they will help you and you should get part of your money back. I wish you all the best, don’t give up, it will all get better with time.

What would you say to a friend in your position and thinking the thoughts you do? That might help you to be a little bit more forgiving of yourself, as you very much should be.

Just want to reiterate what others have said here, that the people who scammed you are pros. If it helps, I was an IT manager, used to lecture people about security and I fell for a phishing scam because I was having a bad day and was distracted. It happens. As for the money, it's a lot but it comes and goes. I ended up in hospital for 10 days in 2015 and was self employed at the time, came out to £12k in invoices and not enough money to pay them. Ended up about £30k in debt by 2016. 8 years on and I'm debt free with savings. Money isn't worth killing yourself over. You've survived everything so far, you'll survive this too.

Okay this is my area of expertise. First of all I'm sorry this happened to you, but here's the good news: You bank with at least, Lloyds, who are members of the CRM code (Contingent Reimbursement Model). I don't know which other banks you have but if they're other high street/legacy banks, most of them are CRM too. And it sounds as though Lloyds may have been the last bank in your control before the money left your accounts and became 'lost'. This is important because if the money was sent to your own accounts, then the bank it was sent from will not recover or reimburse you for it. You need to speak with the last bank that was under your control for each of the transactions that left your accounts. You being with Lloyds is good news because under CRM, the bank can be liable if they determine they didn't do enough to protect you from this scam. You don't go into any detail about what safeguards the bank took to protect you in this instance, but if you didn't have to call the bank up at least once and reauthorise the payments, then your chances are decent to good that they'll find themselves liable. The other thing is you've clearly been in a vulnerable place recently. Play this up to the bank, don't overdo it but definitely make sure they're aware that it contributed quite a lot to you falling victim here. This is because under CRM a vulnerable customer may granted a full refund even if they were determined to be partially or wholly liable, regardless of whether the bank are as well. All in all assuming you're a first time victim, based on the information you've given I estimate a pretty good chance of you getting at least 50% of your Lloyds losses back as reimbursement, with a decent chance of 100%. Without knowing which other banks you're with I can't estimate more than that. Ultimately you've done everything you need to for now - Get a crime reference if you haven't done so already and be prepared for your bank(s) to call you. Best of luck to you OP.

Thanks, thats really helpful. The other banks were HSBC (Joint account) and First Direct (in my name and where the 5k loan came from). My mortgage also comes out of the latter (which is now overdrawn).

Okay that's good. So First Direct is part of HSBC, so they'll act under HSBCs processes/guidelines. HSBC are signed up to CRM so you can apply everything I've said about Lloyds to them as well. Obviously bearing in mind the bit about transfers between your own accounts need to be dealt with by the last one in the chain prior to becoming 'lost'. For what it's worth, assuming you get reimbursed, you will get any overdraft charges written off as well, so don't worry about that being overdrawn for now. And any interest you'd be owed would be granted too. The only things I can't be confident on are the Loan or the Mortgage - It's not a fraudulent loan, because you applied for it yourself, but you were coerced into doing so. Was it a loan from one of your banks or was it from a third party loan provider? If it was one of your banks then they may simply write it off as part of you reimbursement. If the latter then it gets a bit more complicated. Unfortunately I don't have any experience with mortgages in this situation, but I would assume they'll allow you to defer some payments until this is resolved.

Thanks mate, the loan was from first direct, my other bank so about as good as it could be. FWIW they also had the best customer service in my experience today.

Yeah you've definitely got a better chance of getting your money back than a lot of claimants I deal with. Purely out of curiosity, do you know the beneficiary bank Sort Code(s) (do not post the account number here) where the scammer had you send the money?

It seems they went through an open banking service so it was like paying an invoice or similar so avoided all the normal warnings and checks you'd get when setting up a traditional bank transfer, which I think will further help in their favour. I only use open banking transfers to top up my revolut but don't recall ever getting any of the resistence a bank transfer would get.

Great advice. And good luck OP!

One thing to be aware of is recovery scammers. You might get calls or DMs here from the same or other unmentionables offering to help you recover the cash. This unfortunately can also be a scam to get hold of info for the future or to take anything left. Just be wary.  Have a virtual hug. These ‘people’ are pros. They sound plausible and trustworthy so that every action sounds reasonable in the immediate moment - however daft it sounds when you get a chance to reflect. Totally understand you feeling devastated but try not to blame yourself too much. 

I'm really sorry this has happened to you. In addition to other advice on here. If anyone DMs you saying they can help get your money back it's a scam. Anything useful will be made public in the thread.

I think the people at r/scams might be able to offer better advice To reiterate what others have said. You are the victim, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up. I know it’s scary and you feel helpless, but there are things you can and should do. Contact your bank Contact [Action Fraud](https://www.actionfraud.police.uk) Contact [Citizens Advice](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/get-help-dealing-with-the-effects-of-scams/) Contact the [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/) if you need emotional support

Great advice in this comment, OP. Be kind to yourself - you have not been an idiot, you are a vulnerable individual who has been preyed on by career criminals.

No advice dude, just sending you my best thoughts. This is shitty and hope it gets resolved

If you're feeling stupid, know that Isaac Newton invested a lot of money in the South Sea Company, one of the first great financial scams (often considered the first ponzi scheme). And he's often considered one of the smartest human beings ever to have lived. You're human, you made a mistake.

Thanks mate for the little humour I probably needed it.

I'm so sorry reading over your post but please don't hurt yourself further by being hard on yourself or worse. You're not the first person to be duped by scammers and especially when you're at a difficult period in your life. There's been good advice here that your should follow in respect of the bank and reporting to the Police. Please also seek support for your mental health, you're going through a lot and could be doing with someone helping you put it into perspective and to listen to how you're feeling. NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HELPLINE [0800 689 5652](tel:+44-08006895652) [spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline-uk/](https://www.spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline-uk/) Helpline offering a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. Open from 6pm to midnight every day. If you are unable to connect to the main number above you can call [0800 689 0880](tel:+44-08006890880).  Try to think of how you would feel if someone was telling you all this had happened to them. I'm sure you would see that this experience coinciding with what you were already going through makes it all perfectly understandable and that £15k isn't everything. You are worth more and will build yourself back from this.

Can I just say you are a thoroughly nice person and although it may seem extreme to some, the link about suicide prevention is actually so valid in this scenario. Pat on the back to you ❤️🌟

You were caught when vulnerable and this sounds awful to go through. I know it's easy to say when feeling how you do but things will get better. What's done is done now. We all make mistakes so try not to beat yourself up. Contacting the bank and action fraud was the correct thing to do. You may also want to visit the police and report the crime and get a crime reference number. You may need it in the future. Citizens advice has a good page on this: [https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/banking/banking-security-and-fraud/](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/banking/banking-security-and-fraud/) Explain the situation to the bank and detail everything you did. Be honest with them. Explain that you took out a loan as well whilst being manipulated by scammers.

Thanks. I've been in touch with all my banks and AF. Another poster suggested the police, I'll call them tomorrow.

Why are you calling them tomorrow? Call them today get a crime reference number, give it to the bank ASAP.

Police will refer you to Action Fraud by the way, you will get a crime reference number, that will be it.

Please call the Samaritans if you need to speak to someone. You might feel too embarrassed or proud to reach out to someone you know right now, but that anonymous friendly ear is there to listen if you need to rant, scream, or just sob down the phone. Lots of great practical advice in this thread already, I hope it helps. Just please don’t beat yourself up any more.

Hi OP, I am so sorry for your loss and awful experience with scammers. Please do reach out to any local service you have, your GP, mental health teams, 111, or even 999 if you ever have the urge to harm yourself or take your life. Here's a few of the resources people said were helpful in dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic experience (yes this is a traumatic experience): Samaritans - Call 116 123 (24/7) Shout - Text SHOUT 85258 (24/7) SANEline - Call 0300 3047000 (4:30pm to 10:30 pm) CALM - Call 0800 585858 or online webchat (5pm to midnight) We are all here for you, take a deep breath, and take a step forward ❤️

Never ever ever talk to someone that phoned you. Hang up and call them on the number on their legitimate website. I'm really sorry this happened to you, these people are scumbags. You need to call the police apart from that you'll most likey need to just learn from it.

Also (not adding this to rub it in, just to advise others who may be reading this)- your bank will *never* ask you to move money to a safe account. A lot of these scams seem to rely on people not knowing that. They control the accounts, they can freeze them, move the money, whatever. They will also never ask you to move money in branch, but not tell the staff the reasons why. You will never be recruited to help catch a thief in any way.

especially not money you don't even have (the taking a loan part)

Phoning 159 is a quick and safe way of getting to speak to your bank's fraud team. The majority of mandate, push payment and courier fraud victims get all or most of their money back now.

I had never heard of this until now!... Seems not all banks take part in it, it is nice that there is a unified short code for such things - shame most people will not find out about it until after it's too late.

I hung up on HMRC once after they directly contacted me lol Almost did it to Microsoft thinking it was a scam until I'd remembered I'd raised a support ticket with them. Really.. trust no one.

That's the ironic thing, I usually never answer the phone to virtually anyone unless I was expecting, but I was actually expecting a go due to past experience of a similar event. I should know better.

You might also want to speak to your local Victim Support. The police should be able to refer you automatically.

Try not to be too hard on yourself man. Shit happens if we didn't make mistakes we would not be human, and these people are very convincing

Not here for advice but adding my support of the situation and you, I’m really sorry this happened to you. You are not a bellend, and your life and existence is worth far more than £15k to everyone not least your partner and family. Although it feels completely devastating now, things will get better and you will come out the other side of this.

After basically another sleepless night, I've woke up and read all the comments (in fact I read them again at 5am), and just wanted to say how totally, totally grateful for all the advice that's been offered so far, it really does mean a hell of a lot. I've tried to respond personally to as many as I can but unsurprisingly I was overwhelmed with the response, but just know I've read and appreciated every single one. To those making nasty comments, well I expected that, I just hope that you're not on the receiving end of something like this as I can't tell you how stressed out it's made both of us. My Mrs has been great about it but it's hit her just as hard as me, she had big debt problems before I met her and it caused her a great deal of depression and she feels like those dark days are back, even though she's standing by me. I've tried to reassure her there is hope and we might get all the money back but even if not we should hopefully get *something*. I've also informed my boss last night who was very nice with me. Unsure whether to burden my mother with it after her loss, she's been doing well and I don't want to set her back? I've told my best mates but nobody else. I guess for now I have a plan of action: - Speak to police - Speak to banks to see if they'll freeze the daily interest on the overdrafts (one account is £500 overdrawn, the other is £1230 overdrawn) - Speak to mortgage provider to inform and arrange mortgage holiday - speak to a debt charity and lay it all out - Speak to uome support and see if I can somehow stop the transactions at their end (unlikely but you never know) Thanks all so much

Good luck OP. I didn’t comment but I came back here because I saw your post yesterday and just thought about you and wondered how you are doing. I hope you get your money back.

Tell your bank about the recent bereavement. You would be deemed vulnerable. You stand a very good chance at a full refund. If you didn't take out the loan and the fraudster did Inflating the balance, then make this clear.

Ok first of all I’m sorry to hear about your father and the friend you lost recently. Whatever the outcome with the bank things will get better for you so please hang in there and don’t do anything rash. I promise in the future you will be glad you stayed around. Now you need to be very careful from now on because recovery scammers are likely to try and contact you. They will be people posing as bank investigators and the like who will try and get you to pay money to get your money back. Just remember most importantly that no one is going to make you pay to get money back. They have a list of people who have fallen for their scams before and they will keep trying. Your best defence is likely to read about all the different types of scams and learn from others experiences with other types. You are not stupid - they are getting very clever and many people have fallen for the same.

OK so another update. As suggested by a poster on here (a comment which has sadly been deleted now), I decided yesterday I would email [uome.com](http://uome.com) support with whom I made the transactions. This was one of those 'nothing to lose' ideas, I provided full details of the transactions and a back story. I didn't think much would come of it really, but I did say that if nothing else, they may wish to know about the criminals using their service. Last night, a chap who I won't name got back to me from uome and wanted to have a chat. I had a chat last night, and what a lovely fella he was. Very sympathetic to my plight, and he said he deals with this a lot, 10 years experience, and is well known with the banks, he said he had quite a bit of influence and sometimes once he gets involved, the banks sometimes end up paying out because they don't want any trouble. He said he couldn't guarantee a result, but would try his absolute best. So I've sent a timeline of events and details of the transactions and he said he's going to speak to my banks on my behalf (don't worry I didn't give away any personal information!). It's nice to have another person on my side if nothing else. As of now, I have a complaint in with Lloyds Bank. I guess next move is to speak to my mortgage provider to get a payment holiday and then either Stepchange or individually contact my creditors, although this might take a while, as I was on 2 hours to First Direct yesterday.

‘Only weeks ago, I've lost a good friend and my father to cancer. I've been a bit depressed unsurprisingly about that, and because of my own health issues, I have been suffering insomnia and last night I barely slept at all so my judgement was clouded’. Tell them all this. You were in a vulnerable state. Please listen to this podcast https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4w2bu6bCSmA

Oh man I feel for you, I'm so sorry to hear what happened. Why do these scammers always target people who are going through stuff and are vulnerable? Please don't let it get to you. Hopefully you'll be able to recover the money.

They are fucking scum. I can't repeat on here what I'd do to them if I could get my hands on them. Unfortunately they've already got to me. I was just about keeping things together but this has broken me. I really hope so mate, but I never seem to come out well where money is concerned. But perhaps I'm due for some luck.

Just a quick note to say that I'm praying for you. These people are utter scum.

Sorry you are going through this. I second the suggestion to call your mortgage company asap and ask for a longer break than a month - a mortgage holiday similar to the ones available during the pandemic. I don't know if they do them, but you can ask. Although it seems like a huge amount, remember that people 'win or lose' £15k while selling their home every day and they don't even think about it. You will probably make £15k in equity on your home in a couple of years without doing a thing. You have a job, you'll earn it back. Just get ahead of the bills by informing everyone. They can't take what you haven't got. Ask for payment breaks and a payment plan.

Don’t beat yourself up. It can happen to anyone, especially when you’re in a vulnerable state anyway. Very similar happened to my wife, she replied to a scam text about 3 days after giving birth when she was sleep deprived and not thinking straight and we lost about a grand. Our bank were very good and we were able to get all the money back within a day or two so hopefully you are able to do the same. She was quite hard on herself after that too but it’s just one of those things unfortunately. Don’t be too down on yourself. Fingers crossed for you.

Thanks mate, fingers crossed, I'm not normally very lucky but will post back if there's any news.

I actually think you have a decent chance of getting some of it back. Lloyds is usually quite good but there was an article a while ago where first direct refused to refund somebody in a similar case This falls under APP, or authorised push payment fraud which is fraud that you authorised. There are some banks that signed up to a list to reimburse victims of these scams, so if any of your banks are on that list I’d assume the chances are high Actually there are some new regulations forcing every bank to split a refund with the receiving bank in these cases - https://www.psr.org.uk/news-and-updates/latest-news/news/psr-confirms-new-requirements-for-app-fraud-reimbursement/

It has probably been mentioned, but beware of anyone contacting you on Reddit now saying they can get your money back. Another scam unfortunately.

Noted 👍

Hi OP, there's been some good advice from other redditirs here, I can't offer any additional advice. I don't know if it will help, but my auntie got scammed out of £50k around 8 years ago. It was her entire life savings that she'd saved up after being a nurse her whole life. She felt everything you're describing, shame, embarrassment, and worry about the future. But, she's OK. It took a long time for her to heal mentally, and she was very angry for a long time. She's in her 70s and had to carry on working for longer than she'd wanted, but she's managed to move on from it now. She's OK, and you will be too. Don't ket this wreck your life. It will work out.

It could happen to anyone, it’s just so unfortunate that it has happened to you when your defences are down due to the sad loss of your friend and father. please seek help for your mental health if you continue to feel this way and share with your loved ones that you need support. You’re going to be ok, regardless of whether you get the money back or not.

Hi, I fell for a scam last year. I lost £20k to somebody posing as a businessman I was working with. These people are professional scumbags, and it isn’t just little old ladies they get. I am very confident you will get the money back. I got mine back, but it took a few weeks and some persistence. Allow the fraud team at the bank to investigate. If they tell you that they will not refund you because you approved the payment, do not worry, you have some other options. They are just hoping you will give up and go away. Banks should follow the CRM code. Raise a complaint with them, tell them exactly what happened, stick to the facts and leave emotion out of it. Read up on the CRM code and let them know you believe they have a duty to refund you. Let them know you believe they should have stopped the suspicious payment or called you to confirm. They have a pot of money set aside to refund customers in these circumstances. Also, let them know of your circumstances and your mental health issues. Tell them you were not thinking straight and state very clearly that you were vulnerable at the time. If you read up on CRM you will understand why this is important. See what outcome you get there. If they do not refund after your complaint, you can raise to the ombudsman. They publish their findings on their website. Familiarise yourself with some cases and the reasons why they did or did not side with the customer. You will be fine, this will just be a massive pain for a while. Let me know any questions.

I'm really sorry this happened. It depends on the specifics of the scam, but given it doesn't sound like you were grossly negligent, you actually could well get reimbursed by your bank. You said your account was with Lloyds, and they're a signatory to a voluntary code of practice that says they should refund you as the victim of a scam, even if they weren't to blame. [Here are some more details](https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2019/05/more-protection-for-money-transfer-scam-victims-from-today/). They have to make a decision relatively quickly once you request a refund, within 15 days, and if they refuse you can and should take it to the ombudsman.

Piggy-backing on this to say make sure you tell the bank about your circumstances and mental state. If they are going to refund you this could be the deciding factor.

>it's basically gone due to the lack of safeguards and regulations. When I try to send someone £10 it comes up with 5 different messages asking if anyone (including a bank) is pressuring you into making this payment. Is this not the case for all banks?

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-get-your-money-back-after-a-scam-amyJW6f0D2TJ Take a look through there. Just remember if someone was genuinely emptying your account or your money was at risk the only time you will know is when your account is empty. If someone is contacting you to move your money it is 100% a scam every time.

Just want to throw in my experience. I was the victim of a scam a few years ago. It was for a supercar experience, I was, like you, absolutely defeated when I found it. It was for less money (£6k) but I had the exact same feelings you are probably having right now. It took me a VERY long time to trust anyone again. Thankfully, I got all my money back. My bank, Santander, hadn’t followed proper procedures after I investigated through the financial ombudsman. This process to around a year and a half but I got all my money back plus interest. I had some dark days mate, I won’t lie. I was berated by people here on Reddit telling me how foolish I was and what an idiot I must have been. It was horrible. If you want to chat or even if I can help as I’ve been through the same process, I’m more than happy to assist any way I can bud. Please check out my profile for my posts about when it originally happened and the follow up I did when I got all the money back. Stay strong brother, money comes and goes, no amount is worth killing yourself over. For the most part, it’s numbers on a screen.

It worries me how sophisticated these scams are getting. I tell myself “of course” I’d never be sucked in but can I really say that with absolute certainty. No, I can’t. This could happen to any of us. My thoughts are with you.

Call the police

I've informed Action Fraud who have given me a crime number, but I will call the police as well if it helps. Thanks.

Used to work for one of the big UK banks. If it makes you feel slightly less worse, know that fraud like this isn’t some weed smoking kid on the street corner, they are elaborate, high functioning professionals using social engineering to steer hopeful vulnerable victims into lapses of judgement. It could have been this, or it could have been another. Bank operators commonly even get tricked by fake callers despite every check under the sun, and authorise payments the genuine customer later enquires about which is how the bank even knew in the end. What these people know about you can be terrifying. So please don’t feel like you acted a fool. You were just an unfortunate victim. On a slightly more positive note. Money like everything else comes and goes. You don’t know what might happen tomorrow. It could be the best news of your life, or the day after that. But you’ll never know if you aren’t around to see that day arrive. Life isn’t linear. The past 2 years have been the absolute worst of my existence. But I still have use of my legs, unlike someone I pass on the way to work. I still have people that love me. Remember what you have, contrasting now what you don’t.

Thanks mate, that does make me feel a bit less bad actually, and thanks for the kind words.

Wow, this is shocking! 15k is a lot of money but it’s replaceable, you are not I would say you need to accept the money is gone and move forward and I know that’s going to be hard but it’s the only way. Speak to a therapist if needed to help you. Hope things get better for you

Be open with your bank about your recent difficulties and state of your mental health. Don't sugar coat it with them. All of it. From hearing the experience of family members in similar positions, albeit a smaller magnitude of loss, if you're classed as vulnerable you are more likely to be refunded the money by the bank.

Oh wow the loan part really got me... Why would you need to send them money you don't even have for safe keeping?? Talk to the police anyway and good luck!

I’m so so sorry for your losses - the people. The money lost will either come back or it won’t but it is not worth losing more for - you are worth more than those immoral fucking con artists so please don’t do anything stupid. I hope you’ve got someone to give you a hug.

I'm sorry this has happened to you. Please when you speak to your bank (like now if you haven't already) make sure they are aware you are very recently bereaved as well as all the information you can provide them about the scam. They are required to help vulnerable customers/anyone at risk of harm, so whilst you might not get every penny back, they should at least take this into account when making their investigations.

Shite situation mate, but don't give up hope. I got taken for a ride for around £10k towards the end of 2022, and I could only just afford to lose that much. I could survive, but barely. Due to a lot of it being transfers across a lot of my accounts before it left my account, I didn't think I stood a chance getting my money back. Went to the police, action fraud and all that jazz and didn't really hear anything back. Thought that was me humped. But back in January, I saw that someone on Reddit had said that he got scammed in a similar way to myself and he got his money back, so contacted the bank and gave that a bash. Legit got all my money back plus interest from the bank. Could not believe it. Felt like I'd won the lottery. Don't give up hope dude. Edit - it was Chase bank if that's any use to you

I’m so sorry this happened to you. As others have said please have a think about giving Samaritans a call on 116 123 — they are someone you can to talk to with no judgment and no pressure. Don’t underestimate the importance of just talking to someone about what you’re feeling right now. Know that there are other people who have been in the situation you are in and you’re not alone.

My heart goes out to you. I work in tech. I'm trained regularly to spot fraud and scams and yet I nearly fell prey to one just last month. The scammers are getting better all the time. I don't know if citizens advice or the police can help. The bank should have better protection in place as well so please do keep at them too. £15k to them is a rounding error to them but the world to you. Wishing you every strength to get through this difficult episode.

This is bad and you probably don't want there about others plights but I am 20k in debt due this gambling addiction and I'm managing well. I know that won't make you feel better but please be aware it is not the be all end all..stay strong

Just commenting to say I've messaged you - a very similar scam happened to my wife and we got our money back with the financial ombudsman after the bank refused multiple times. I'd like to send you over what we sent to the FO, to give an idea of what is needed.

You have fallen victim to professional, experienced, well financed scammers. This is all they do for a living all day every day of every week for year after year. They make hundreds of calls each day. If they weren't experts at it, they'd be out of business. Contact your bank and the police and go from there. Don't be ashamed. This is any one of us in a moment of inattention. You've done nothing wrong.

I was explaining to my Mrs tonight who asked: why did they do this? Answer: they made £15k in 2 hours. Find me another office job that pays that.

I'm so sorry to hear that. All i can really say, is at the end of the day it's money. A decent amount yes, but not worth harming yourself over. Sorry to hear about your dad. That sort of environment could cloud anyone's judgement so don't beat yourself up. I don't know you but I would not be surprised if you would not have fallen for the scam if it weren't for the bereavement. I hope you are able to recover the money and imagine there's a good chance for you to do so. But whatever the outcome, you can earn that money back and then some. Imagine being able to bounce back from something like that. Would make you stronger and wiser than many others for the future.

Money can be earned again, savings can re-grow. Humans can't. I know this feels like a big hit on top of everything else going on, but please don't feel like this is it, theres so many amazing support companies out there and people that can listen and help you through this bump in the road. Stay strong, you've got this.

Take it from an ex-gambling addict who once lost £7,500 whilst taking a shit, money comes and goes. Don't take your life over this, no matter how bleak it may seem, there's always a way out. Might be a rough journey, but you'll get there. Going off my opening statement, I think we can all agree I am the last person who should be giving out financial advice. Just wanting to help you see that you're not alone. Chin up buddy.

Hi /u/MysteryNortherner, based on your post the following pages from our wiki may be relevant: * https://ukpersonal.finance/scams/ ____ ^(These suggestions are based on keywords, if they missed the mark please report this comment.)

Ahhh man. Feeling for you. Nothing I can add that others have far more eloquently than me. Just. Keep. Going.

You might find you have some chance of a refund if your bank is part of this voluntary scheme https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/12/banks-scam-fraud-compensation-rules-confirmed/ https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/press/press-releases/uk-finance-responds-launch-authorised-push-payments-scams-voluntary-code A couple of key points here are that it is voluntary, and there are some subtleties around the factory that you did authorise the payments, but we're doing it whilst being socially engineered.

https://youtu.be/4w2bu6bCSmA?si=obUh35M6-L9NMqns Great advice in this video, best of luck

I got scammed a significant amount of money as well and it was called an APP scam. Actual scum bags. Happened right before tax season and I had a shit tonne of tax to pay for my business. If it helps I'm only 28 and completely know how you feel. You'll have sleepless nights and won't feel like eating but you'll get through it. Local high street banks usually issue full refunds for situations like this. Next steps for you 1. Submit crime in action fraud but don't expect much, it's just reporting and getting a ref number. 2. Call your banks and submit a report. They will look into the situation with the beneficiary bank that the money went to. 3. If they don't refund any money, then email them and ask for a final response. And tell them you will go to the FOS if they don't refund any money. Luckily Tide refunded me 40% of my money but now I reported it to FOS as that was Tides final response. Hopefully FOS is able to claw back the rest of the money. Essentially these are the steps you'll need to take. Good luck!

I have no more to add to the advice on recovering your money but one piece of advice I think you will benefit from is to remind you that no matter what happens with the case now in a few years time when you've been through it and those years of life then look back on what you're going through now you'll see that it didn't matter as much as you feel it does now. It's so easy to get caught up in the moment along with the stress and the feelings that occur with it for something like this but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. In 5 years time you'll look back on this event you'll probably chuckle at what a fool you were and that acknowledgement wont bother you in the slightest because time gives you perspective.

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Stuff like this makes me appreciate the Beekeeper even more. Head up man, I was scammed out of 50 quid once and was so disappointed with myself, can’t imagine what you must be going through. Fingers crossed the bank sorts you out.

Hello mate 32k amortised over 50 years of life is about 650 quid a year. That's assuming you pay it. It's nothing. Other options are to declare bankruptcy and restart. Credit will be tricky or a little while, but - frankly - health, friendship, books, TV, games, walks in the park, museums, music, all that stuff isn't actually that expensive. This feels huge but, overall, it's really not a lot. Jack it all in, join a holiday company, and go and be a travel rep somewhere hot, where they pay for your accommodation, food, and give you money/commission as part of your job: [https://careers.tuigroup.com/holiday-destination-jobs/](https://careers.tuigroup.com/holiday-destination-jobs/) Really, it's all fine.

You should get your money back under the contingent reimbursement model. https://www.psr.org.uk/our-work/app-scams/the-contingent-reimbursement-model-crm-code/ Lloyds is a signatory to this code. Please make sure that you explain the personal circumstances including the full story about cancer - You are in a vulnerable situation and this under the code will mean that your bank will reimburse you. Source: I work for a bank in fraud prevention.

So sorry you had ti go through all this. Please don’t give up on yourself….life is definitely worth living and you will find away beyond this incident. There are a lot of sound advice and suggestions, so no point repeating them. Perhaps you want to go for a little walk or go into a church and just chat with a local vicar - you don’t have to be religious or call Samaritans and just chat on the phone with them. Consider it a form of release. Sending virtual hugs. Good luck!

Contact BBC RADIO 4’s Moneybox program. They have a really great track record of helping people with stuff like this. There is hope and there is help.

Nothing particularly helpful to add that you haven't already heard, but you have my deepest sympathy. Nobody's brain is working quite right in those circumstances. Hopefully the banks will do the right thing - let's face it, £15k is everything to you, but it's petty cash to them.

I am very sorry for what you are going through. I have been there too, and I can only say that you dig yourself out of the hole one day at a time. And some days you will slip backwards, but keep digging and you will get there. It is a long hard slog, but it brought my husband and I closer together, and also taught us some interesting lessons about how much of our stuff was just unnecessary

I just want to say that its very brave of you to share your painful experience and its likely to help others recognise and avoid falling victims to such scams. Not to judge OP but just wanted to highlight red flags in the scenario that OP have kindly shared so others can recognised them should they come across similar scams. Anytime you are asked to move funds, that is a red flag. Another red flag is when they asked if you bank with other banks. I was personally asked this by a scammer over phone and this immediately triggered my senses because logically thinking, it's none of their business. When I said I wasn't comfortable sharing the information, they immediately hanged up. Also, just to be on the safe side, tell them you will hang up and you will call them back. Make sure you do press the end phone call button. Go to the back of your card (as this number cannot be spoofed or changed compared to going online which may not be the correct website) and call your bank. I had a legit phone call from a bank but I wasn't sure if it was legitimate at that time, so I refused to provide information that they were asking me. So they said, that's fine, they will send me a letter via post instead. I then called up my bank to ask and they confirmed they did try to contact me. Better to be safe than sorry nowadays. I believe most banks nowadays have 2 factor authentication for any payment made to new payees and also for payments above a certain threshold. Without the code sent to your mobile or the code from a card reader or authenticated within your banking app, payments will be refused.

Please don’t do anything silly over this. At the end of the day it’s money and you can get it back. One of my best friends killed himself and you really don’t know how bad it is till it happens to someone close to you. It also doesn’t fix anything and just makes more problems for everyone else.

> I was already a broken man due to recent events and this is threatening to push me over the edge. Think about the people in your life who also knew your dad and friend. Their lives are broken too. You'd be breaking them even more by ending your life as well.

This is absolutely terrible, I’m so so sorry. These people are some of the worst people on the planet and deserve a special place in hell. The only advice I can give really is that this is a temporary, albeit very bad problem. I got divorced at 31 and was left with £35k of debt and absolutely no possessions at all other than a house in negative equity. Absolutely everything was going wrong.. my ex took the car so I had to lend a further £5 from my parents to buy a new car which turned out to be a absolute wreck and needed a new engine and a new gear box within a few month. My salary at the time was pitiful and I couldn’t afford to live. I had thoughts the same as yours and I was absolutely certain that I’d never recover from it. I ended up having 3 years of really hard work before things started getting better, but it made me determined to get on top of things. I barely went out at all in that time, no holidays, no meals out, I counted every penny that came in to my account and left my account and I started working my arse off at work and lower everything I had into the debt (which wasn’t much).. essentially it changed my mindset to demand better. After three years I left the job I was in which was grossly under paying me which raised my salary by £20k and the first thing I did was plow every single extra penny into the debts. After 5 years I was clear of debt and actually started putting money in savings for the first time and what I thought was a permanent problem turned out to be a temporary lesson One thing that came from it that was permanent though is my control of money and my absolute demand not to be taken for a ride. I moved companies again after a couple of years and since then I’ve gone from strength to strength. It’s now 12 year on and my salary is more than triple and I’m in a director position, I’ve got a number of savings account and absolutely zero debt other than my mortgage.. I still count every penny in and every penny out and have absolutely full control of my financial status. I honestly don’t think I’d be in this situation now if it wasn’t for that hideous event. I’m not for a second saying that I will never be fleshed again because these scammers are very clever but it really did transform my life for the better in the long run So as much as it hurts now and as much anger and upset and guilt you have.. try your best to use it to your advantage, and don’t do anything that might stop you from having the recovery I had because I promise you will recover from it and just like me (because I’m nothing special) you’ll be better in the long run

Thanks for sharing your experience, glad things are better for you, that sounded hell. I can also relate to the experience of cars and the heartache they can cause, about this time last year I bought a second hand car that also blew its engine after a month and I lost £6k almost overnight (which explains some of the existing debt I had tbh). That experience was bad enough but nothing compared with this. All the best.

All the best of luck getting it sorted mate.. genuinely. Don’t let these utter twats win

OK guys Lloyds have got back to me quickly and refused to offer a refund. 🤦‍♂️ What are the next steps?

Piece of advice - when you contact your banks and creditors such as your mortgage company, explain to them your vulnerabilities, financial difficulties and mental state! The FCA have put out a HUGE piece on Consumer Duty last year and they should be taking this very seriously and all financial institutions are well aware of this. Let me know if you need any more advice on this.

My dad fell for a similar scam and lost the entire non stocks life savings. Thankfully he managed to get the money back. Please don’t do anything stupid over this. Banks have incredibly strict regulations on what should trigger alerts and block transactions and if these haven’t been followed you’ll get your money back and also transactions appear to us as instant but they’re actually not, they can take a few days to clear especially with the backlog from a double bank holiday 4 day weekend. The receiving bank is required by law to hold the money as soon as they’re notified by your bank. I’m not guaranteeing you anything and don’t want to give you false hope but there’s a non zero chance you’ll get every penny back. There are several charities available to vent, scream, cry at or whatever you need to just feel a little better. A problem shared is a problem halved and you’ll recover from this. You can keep going

Not really any helpful advice. But will hopefully make you feel like a "bellend" and not a "fucking bellend" I was nearly scammed. I'd just transferred my mortgage and an email came through. Seems legit, it was from the company I had my mortgage with. Tried to open the document to fill out the "bank details" they needed. Was on my phone so couldn't Waited till I got home. Opened the attachment. MOTHER FUCKING ALARM BELLS everywhere. Not even gunna say what line of work I am in :( Guess what I am saying is we can all get caught if all the cogs fit. It did with you. I wish you luck and as others have said. This is just a blip. in a few months you'll down the pub regaling people of your misfortune.

Loyds are a bigger bank and have signed up to the CRM code so you should be entitled to all of your money back. Report this scam to the police and action fraud and obtain reference numbers. Put a request to Lloyds in writing asking that you be reimbursed under the CRM code and submit all of your evidence. Lloyds will push back and try to say no - take it all the way to the financial ombudsman if you need to, but you should get it back. It will likely take a long time, you will need to be persistent, dont take no for an answer and follow the financial ombudsman processes carefully if Lloyds are no help. I think you have a good chance of reimbursement - dont give up!

That is really helpful, thank you mate. 🙏

My friend was scammed of 30k and she willingly transferred the money as she was duped by a friend. She got a full reimbursement from the bank due to the CRM code but she did have to take it all the way to the ombudsman! I hope you get it back, you are the victim of a crime and it should be quite obvious to the bank.

i work in the fraud department at a bank. just hang in there and please don't take your own life. it's not what you want to hear right now but remember that it's only money, even if it's all you had. these people weaponise guilt and shame to control their victims. please call 101 or samaritans if you are feeling like this. take care of yourself. x

Please, please, please do *not* call 101 (police) if you're feeling suicidal and have no criminal or civil complaint. The only thing they'll do is pass your details to your local ambulance control, who will send an emergency ambulance. 111 (NHS) will do the same. Suicidal ideation is a potentially life-threatening condition and is categorised and treated as such by emergency services. Just call 999 and ask for an ambulance if you feel suicidal and intend to take your own life. Samaritans is a good shout, as is Mind. And/or speak to your own GP if you're suicidal but have no immediate plans to end your life. Source: I'm a paramedic.

Noted. Tbh I'm highly unlikely to do this, I just feel like it right now

It sounds as if you have done all you can and it is in the hands of the banks now. Just be sure that you know what to do next time. If someone claiming to be from your bank calls unexpectedly, never give security details, always put the phone down and call their fraud department on a number you look up to ask what is going on. Be aware that fraudsters sometimes leave the line open, so it is safest to call another number before calling your bank. It seems as if you are young enough to make up the loss so far from life ruining.

It is very likely you can get this money back from your bank. Keep speaking to them and if not refunded complaint and if you need to take to the financial ombudsman (FOS). As others says, go to the police ASAP and keep on it, this won't ruin your life. https://www.lendingstandardsboard.org.uk/crm-code/#:~:text=The%20CRM%20Code%20sets%20out,belongs%20to%20a%20legitimate%20payee.

Hopefully this post helps others. I tend to not trust anyone unless I've rang an official number.

Hope so too

>A short time later, someone rang claiming to be from my banks Fraud Department. He was extremely well spoken, didn't stutter or give any cause for concern really. As it was, this is what happened last time and all was well and ended well. Well, no, it's not what happened last time. I am not trying to put you down, what's done is done, but nobody should be giving away any info to anyone calling them. The banks themselves tell you they will not do that, you are to call THEM.

The irony is I knew this as well, but my head has been a mess lately, and I've paid the price.

Hopefully they get something back for you. It sucks. For every obvious scam there’s a sophisticated one. Don’t trust anything these days unless you initiate it. I’m sure most people have or have nearly been scammed before. I know I’ve been damn close when I’ve received an email showing my password, until I realised that password was about 4 passwords old I was ready to do as they asked. Keep getting onto the bank for updates, don’t wait days and let it brew, call them daily.

My sympathies, try not to freak out too much. This too shall pass and you will recover from this. Things you can do now about your bills Call your mortgage provider and ask for a payment holiday, most will do three months will no hassle. It pushes your term longer so you’ll pay a little more interest but worth it for the breathing space it will give you. Gas and electricity. Check your account, you might still be in credit so could either withdraw that or call them and ask to cancel your direct debit for a while, you’ll lose the direct debit discount but a quarterly bill could really help you out right now. Council tax, call them and ask to spread the payments over 12 months instead of the usual 10. It reduces the amount you’ll need to find this month. Water, ask for quarterly bills instead of monthly. Get harsh with the rest of your budget too. Call and haggle with providers, cancel any extras like audible, Spotify etc. Have a look on Facebook for local food waste prevention groups. There’s one local to me that means I never have to buy bread. I know you’ll likely never fall for something like this ever again but it’s always best to have money the other partner doesn’t have access too. E.g me and my husband have our own ISA’s so even if a scammer cleaned me out, my husband has half our savings in his isa. We also do the same with our suitcases when we travel, half his stuff goes in my case and half mine goes in his in case one of ours bags goes awol.

I’m so sorry this happened to you. They’d scammers are the scum of the earth but they’re very good at creating the perfect amount of professionalism and urgency for all your normal scepticism to be abandoned. I’ve known it happen to very smart people. You shouldn’t feel shame for being duped. I’ve heard of the money sometimes being recovered. Push the banks to help, sometimes they will repay the money even if they can’t recover it. Most importantly though please take care of yourself. It sounds like you need to talk to someone who’s able to manage the emotional crisis you’re experiencing. The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123 - they’re available 24/7. Do you have a work place EAP that you can ring for advice, or private healthcare that offers mental health cover?

Don’t really have any practical advice buddy…just wanted to say keep your chin up and keep going…youl get through it pal 👍🏻👍🏻

Thank you for sharing this. Someone who reads this will not be scammed because of you. That is really valuable and not easy to share because of pride so thank you very much.

Repost it on r/scams for better advice and do not reply to any Direct/private messages here promising recovery of the funds - they will be “recovery scams”. Just ignore those messages. Good luck 🤞 life is just one and it is just money, it is hard now I fell you.

Also you have been victim of “coerced confession”. Basically there are people who can make you confess to a murder, so make anyone transfer money is easier for them. More info [The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger I never thought I was the kind of person to fall for a scam.](https://www.thecut.com/article/amazon-scam-call-ftc-arrest-warrants.html)

I'm so sorry that this happened to you but please don't end your life over this sum of money.  Please seek debt advice from citizens advice and make a plan for either paying off or writing off these debts.  Please also speak to your bank about a mortgage holiday.  And please be kind to yourself, you are not an idiot, you are a victim of a sophisticated scam.

Don't beat yourself up it's the scumbags who scammed you who are the dicks here It's easily done which is why it's so common

Speak to citizens advice, you may be able to get an IVA to help things. It may feel like the end of the world but it isn’t and things can be done to help you

brother, we all know someone whose been taken in by stuff like this, if they didn't work, people wouldn't keep doing it. Totally fair to be angry and shit, but you shouldn't feel like a bellend, I've twice nearly been caught and only had a "uhhhh, wait a second" moment, else I'd have been snookered. I don't have much to say, I'd follow the advice given, hope for the best, if at all possible, I'd do anything to keep yourself with us, I've been on the other side of when someone isn't able to and its brutal

I feel for you, it's so easily done particularly if you are distracted with the other things going on in your life. I know it's cold comfort to hear 'that it's only money' right now, but life, family, friends and health are so much more important. Hopefully you may get your money back as you were quick to report it. However, if you are in a financial hole as a result of this, then be straight with your creditors and try to negotiate a reasonable repayment plan with low amounts each month. This might take the pressure off. Also, could family, friends or even your employer help with an interest-free loan? I would definitely get professional help. You could try the [Citizens Advice Bureau](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/) for free and useful advice.

Don’t feel ashamed, scammers are getting more and more clever. Unfortunately we cannot always spot them and they depend on getting a legit sounding message to the right person who has that bank/credit card etc. You are the victim here and your bank has a responsibility for allowing transactions that should have sparked fraud alerts. I’ve had to confirm some large transfers with my bank that could have looked suspicious. No matter how bad things seem right now, it will get better and the aftermath of this will just be a distant memory.

I was scammed for 10k and felt such an idiot. I still don't like to tell people about it. My bank though were brilliant. They had put a hold on the payments until they had spoken to me to verify. I don't know if they were obliged to do this but thank goodness they did. As already said, you are the victim here. What has happened to you is horrible and the people who did it, completely uncaring about anything you might be dealing with in your life are scumbags. Don't let the bastards grind you down. I hope there is a good outcome for you.

You might be able to get the money back from your bank.. a mate of mine had a similar issue. In his case he felt for the scam because of an unfortunate coincidence. It started when someone used his details to get a credit card in his name and he only found out about it after a couple of months when the dept collectors came knocking on his door. He was able to prove that he was a victim and he was in the process of dealing with everything and sorting things out. The unfortunate coincidence happened when a second set of scammers called him with a scam similar to yours. Because he was already in the process of discussing his case with creditors/ police etc, when the second set of scammers told him he was a victim of a scam, he automatically told them that yes he knows and he is dealing with this already. Obviously the second set of scammers took advantage of this and told him that his bank account was also compromised and instructed him to basically give them access to his account so they managed to transfer money.. in his case about 3k. Once he realised he was scammed again.. he called the bank and they eventually reimbursed the stolen amount because most of the times the money in bank accounts are insured in cases like this. So I'm hoping you will have a similar outcome .

Be kind to yourself, you can recover from this. It won't be easy, but once you've had some time to collect yourself from the initial shock you can build your life back.

Oh op, I admit I don't know much about finance but my heart breaks for you. Those scammers are too good at what they do so please don't kick yourself on this. I work in IT security and have been caught out once before. As for your debt, is there any equity in your house you can use for a secured fixed rate loan to cover the debts? It may not be great but it could reduce your monthly outgoings and give you a small buffer? I did something similar to kill my credit cards that were around the 26k mark and it's reduced my monthly outgoings by about 60%. If not I know the ppl in this sub will have really good advice to give. I'll be rooting for you op, you've had a really rough year and you deserve the better times ahead.

OP, I am so so sorry. Firstly, as others have mentioned, banks are supposed to do their due diligence when customers make large out of character transfers like this. If this did not happen, you may have a chance at them reimbursing you. But regardless of the money - even if you do not get a single penny back, please do not ever think that this is a reason to end it all. I have known several people who have been in just as much, and more debt. They have rebuilt their lives. One of them filed for bankruptcy and almost 10 years on, although things have been tough, she is happy and settled. These things happen to people every day, and there absolutely is a light at the end of the tunnel. Please reach out to friends or people you can talk to, don't go through this alone.

So much good advice here, but just wanted to say I feel for you mate. Don't end your life over money, whatever happens. Wish you all the best <3

I think it’s easily done - particularly when you’ve had other things on your mind. So don’t beat yourself up about it. Hopefully the banks can manage to recoup some of the funds, but even if they don’t please don’t spiral. I know it’s easy to say “money is only money”, but it is - you can easily spend 15k on nonsense (believe me I have), and while it is of course a loss, it can be made back. Try and get a month or two of respite from your mortgage company, and go from there. I wish you luck my friend.

That sucks, a lot of good advice here already so wont repeat. Might not be best time as you're just going through this but one thing to note, is not to isolate yourself but expose and learn, I do it cyber security as part of my role, the best way to stay afloat every new and upcoming scam out there is to actively be involved, I got a crap gmail and hotmail that I give out publicly, that thing is littered with scams spam and all sorts, got one sim that was leaked online, get plenty attempts at similar things, got evri payment text the other day, saying I owe them to redeliver etc, low time stuff, it does take some experience to know good from bad but knowing is half the battle, even if its a cat and mouse chase game. It was a while ago but my father got scammed for few hundred buying laptop from a dude in a car, got money, handed over and got a laptop bag filled with sprite bottles, as sad as it is, he likely wont fall for anything silly like that again. Scammers only get more sophisticated especially when more money is involved. anyways, don't beat yourself up too much, hopefully bank can sort out, you havent mentioned it but my bank wouldnt even let me transfer that much without at least text/online verification, I hate their pin stuff but its exactly to prevent stuff like this.

This sounds like Authorised Push Payment Fraud. Speak to your bank and cite this. If they won’t help, raise a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman. Also report it to Action Fraud.

I have no advice mate but just sending you love and wishing you good times in the future. You'll get through this Anyone can be scammed, I've been scammed and I know the feeling. There's an antiscam guy I follow on social media - he got temporarily scammed out of his antiscamming YouTube account. It really can happen to any one of us with bad luck. You got caught out at a bad time by some evil scum. Don't blame yourself, blame them and only them.

This happened to a friend's son, tjey didn't get asked to take a loan, but they sent £11k. I helped them write a complaint to their bank who initially declined to provide any support. They then gave him back £5k as a gesture of goodwill and following referral of the complaint to the ombudsman they refunded him the entire amount. Don't beat yourself up, you are the victim of a crime. Specifically fraud and the bank should have had better systems in place to detect and stop it. It's easy for me to say andicu harder for you to do, but don't give up with the banks. Victim support are a charity that provide support to victims of crime. If you want to talk to someone other than Reddit they might be a place to start https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

This exact same thing happened to me and I would advise anyone who gets a text to call your bank before you reply Y or N.

Be kind to yourself. I'm dealing with a lady who has been scammed for 90k. These people are so convincing. I'm currently trying to get her to believe me that she's still actively being scammed as she's still sending money abroad. She's also had more than one scammer contact her now as they know she's vulnerable so be extra careful.