Councillor targeted in online fraud

Councillor targeted in online fraud

25 November 2020

A LOCAL politician who was scammed by online fraudsters has appealed to people to be wary, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.

Scammers were able to take three small amounts of money totalling £85 from Rowallane councillor Billy Walker’s bank account.

However, an attempt to take an additional £700 in one transaction was halted by alert bank officials.

Cllr Walker — who has thanked his bank for stopping the large withdrawal — confirmed that he has also been reimbursed for the £85 which was also taken.

He does not know how scammers were able to access his account details, prompting him to appeal to people to be wary, especially at this time of year when there is traditionally a lot of activity on people’s bank accounts.

Cllr Walker said his bank alerted him by text, highlighting what he described as “irregular activity” on his account.

When he investigated the issue, he spotted the withdrawals to companies he had never heard of or had any dealings with.

“Thankfully, the bank queried the £700 withdrawal request given that it was such a large amount and contacted me immediately,” he explained.

“I am relieved that the request was not agreed by the bank but am convinced that if the scammers had made a number of withdrawal requests for smaller amounts of money, it would have gone from my account,” he said.

Cllr Walker said officials from his bank’s fraud department made him aware that his account had been compromised, explaining that he has no idea how this happened.

“I check my bank account virtually every day and would encourage other people to do the same. That way, they can immediately spot any worrying or suspicious activity. It was the request to withdraw £700 which set off alarm bells at my bank with the four requests for money all from different companies,” he explained.

“The requests were made within the space of an hour which I suspected was a carefully co-ordinated scam. I am just glad that my bank has vigorous software which prevented such a large sum being released from many account.”

Cllr Walker said that while people should regularly check their accounts, this was never more important than during the busy festive period, suggesting that people who shop on line need to be extra careful.

“I have nothing but praise for my bank and am at a loss as to how the scammers got hold of my details. What happened is a lesson for me to be even more vigilant and I would encourage others to do the same,” he continued.

“Like many people across the district, I am aware of reports about on-line criminals. What happened to me is a reminder to be even more vigilant. In today’s world, cyber crime is a real and present danger and a crime that we must all be acutely aware of.”

Cllr Walker said cyber criminals were part of a global network who often communicate through encrypted messages as they bid to plunder people’s money.

He added: “I was lucky thanks to my bank. Clearly there are sophisticated people operating in a cyber underworld and my advice to people is to remain vigilant. You can never be too careful as these criminals will stop at nothing to steal people’s money.

“Scammers are ruthless, unscrupulous individuals who don’t care about the impact of their actions. I appeal to people to be vigilant, particularly when they are online. You can never be too careful.”