- hace 2 días
Categoría
😹
DiversiónTranscripción
00:00Today, how AI fakes convinced one woman she had found the love of her life.
00:06I wanted her to come here and buy a boat and sail around the world.
00:10I can't tell you how much I wanted it, but it never happened.
00:14Plus, could you convince someone that they're being scammed?
00:17Well, we meet the experts who get paid to do just that.
00:21It's really important that you're honest with us today,
00:24because I need you just to make sure that you're not falling victim to a scam.
00:27Keeping you one step ahead of the scammers, this is Rip Off Britain.
00:39Hello and welcome to Rip Off Britain on BBC Scam Safe Week,
00:43here from our HQ in Salford to supply you with all the advice you need
00:48to keep your money safe in a world fraught with fraudsters.
00:52Now today, takedown, turndown.
00:55The media giants failing to remove scam investment schemes
00:58that proliferate on their sites, leaving users at risk of losing literally thousands of pounds.
01:04You would think that all of the technical capabilities that big tech has,
01:08they could do the proactive stuff as well, but I see very little evidence of it.
01:13We'll have the pointers you need to make sure that you steer well clear.
01:17And in our interview, Nick, how one woman's love of crochet, like this, very talented.
01:23Look at that, isn't it?
01:24Led her into a whole other type of entanglement.
01:27When she tried to sell her products online,
01:30she was duped into handing over her bank details and hundreds of pounds to a scammer.
01:35We'll have top-notch advice on how to handle that one.
01:38But first, we're turning to the language of love,
01:41something I'm sure you all are very well versed in.
01:45Well, if there's one group of people who are truly expert at penning heartfelt messages,
01:50it's those low-life romance scammers.
01:54And I'm sad to say this horrible type of scam,
01:56which comes all wrapped up in a beautiful romantic bow,
02:00is catching out more people than ever.
02:02It's truly awful.
02:04Last year, nearly £100 million was lost to romance fraud, according to Action Fraud.
02:09And the dark art of targeting those looking for love is reaching new lows,
02:14as the con artists harness artificial intelligence
02:17to make their romantic advances even more realistic.
02:21And it's made even worse by just how much of the world of dating is now done online.
02:27Now, shortly, we're going to talk to one expert
02:29who unpicks the methods on these types of scams
02:33and advises on how to guard against them.
02:35But first, we're going to hear from former university lecturer, Nicky MacLeod.
02:39This time last year, she was listening to Radio Scotland
02:42during BBC's Scam Safe Week,
02:45and she felt absolutely compelled to get in touch and share her own experience.
02:49And we've now picked up the case on the programme.
02:54Nicky MacLeod from Edinburgh has endured a tough few years.
02:59After the death of her parents and the ending of a long-term relationship,
03:03she sought comfort online.
03:05I was really, really at rock bottom,
03:08and I started just chatting away to people on the internet
03:10because I was getting very, very lonely
03:12when I was using Facebook chat rooms.
03:15Nicky says the chat rooms really helped,
03:18and by the summer of 2024, she was feeling far more optimistic,
03:22not least because someone online had caught her eye.
03:26She was obviously a sailor, and she was wearing a beanie and a big jacket.
03:30Just a little tiny avatar picture, as you get on Facebook.
03:33And I thought, oh, she looks really attractive.
03:36And I just wanted to talk to this woman and find out who she was.
03:39She was called Allah,
03:41and within days of Nicky dropping her a message,
03:43a connection started to form.
03:45We just started blethering to each other.
03:48What we were doing today, what you had for tea,
03:51this kind of everyday conversation you'd have with somebody you know really well.
03:54We got to know each other more and more,
03:57and she started being really sympathetic.
04:00The pair chatted every day, exchanging hundreds of messages,
04:05and they bonded over a joint love of the sea.
04:08She knew I liked to go out sailing,
04:10and she said, yeah, I'm a sailor, let's buy a yacht,
04:13and let's sail around the world.
04:14Let's just do that.
04:16And it just sounded so fantastic.
04:19In fact, Allah spent most of her days at sea.
04:22She told Nicky she was an engineer on an oil rig,
04:26and that to stay in touch,
04:27she needed to buy digital gift cards to pay for an internet connection.
04:32Initially, Nicky was sceptical,
04:34but Allah convinced her that their future relationship
04:37depended on a ready supply of codes from the cards to stay in touch.
04:43Nicky spent hundreds of pounds on them.
04:45But Allah's constant demands for more and more cards
04:49started to unsettle Nicky,
04:51so she voiced her concerns.
04:53I started questioning her identity,
04:56and she said, no, it's really real.
04:59And then, because I was getting so sceptical,
05:02she sent me a video.
05:03Well, Nicky, it's Allah Morgan.
05:07I wanted to reach out to reassure you
05:09that I am sincere and have no connection to any scans.
05:12Your trust means a lot to me.
05:14With that, Nicky's creeping doubts vanished.
05:18The couple continued to chat,
05:19with Nicky sharing details of her family life and hobbies.
05:23Allah told Nicky about her well-paid engineering career,
05:26and they started to make plans for the future.
05:29As the bond seemed to get stronger and stronger,
05:32Allah suggested they meet up in Edinburgh.
05:35I was so excited.
05:37She said she was absolutely head over heels in love with me.
05:39I was in love with her.
05:41I mean, it was that simple.
05:45But the visit would come at a cost.
05:49Allah said her employer would need Nicky
05:51to stump up US$2,500, around £1,900,
05:56to pay for a helicopter to bring her
05:58from the oil rig to Edinburgh.
06:01She said, don't worry about it.
06:03I'm so rich.
06:04I'm getting $1.5 million for this contract,
06:08and I'll pay it all back.
06:09So just give them the £2,500.
06:11So I did.
06:13But that was followed by another request for money,
06:16this time for almost £10,000,
06:19supposedly to compensate for Allah's leave.
06:22I didn't pay that because it made me very, very suspicious.
06:27And I thought, I just don't trust this at all.
06:31But just like last time,
06:33as soon as Nicky raised her suspicions,
06:35Allah sent another video.
06:37Good morning, Nicky.
06:38I hope you had a wonderful night.
06:39I want to prove myself to you
06:41and hope this video proves you wrong
06:42with all the negative thoughts.
06:44You can see it's very storming weather outside.
06:46But when it finally came to meeting...
06:53She never turned up at Edinburgh Airport.
06:55And I'd filled the house with flowers
06:56because they thought she was going to turn up the next day.
06:59Nicky was upset,
07:01but the pair reconciled
07:02and continued to exchange messages.
07:05And while Nicky was now on her guard,
07:07Allah reassured her
07:08that she was absolutely committed
07:10to their relationship.
07:12It got round to the fact that my daughter,
07:14she was desperate to find somewhere else
07:16to live in Aberdeen.
07:18And Allah promised
07:19that she would just buy my daughter a house.
07:21It was very, very generous,
07:23which is why I asked her
07:24if she really meant it.
07:26Because it was so generous.
07:27She said, I love you so much.
07:28I'm just going to give you this money.
07:31Nicky and her daughter
07:32set about finding a suitable property,
07:35settling on a one-bed flat
07:36costing £65,000.
07:39To get the ball rolling on the purchase,
07:41Allah provided Nicky with login details
07:44for what she said
07:45was her online bank account
07:47with a company called
07:48Terafin Capital.
07:50And when Nicky checked the account,
07:52everything seemed to add up.
07:54Lo and behold,
07:54there was $1.5 million
07:56in her bank account.
07:58So I happily transferred
08:00£65,000 to my bank account.
08:03But Allah's bank
08:04blocked the transaction.
08:06Almost instantly,
08:10Nicky received an email
08:11saying the account had been frozen
08:13and releasing the money
08:15would require a payment
08:16of £8,500.
08:19Baffled, Nicky messaged Allah,
08:22who was as reassuring as ever.
08:24Allah said,
08:25why don't you just pay them
08:26and then I'll give you the money back.
08:29So Nicky did just that,
08:31using her bank and PayPal accounts
08:33to pay the fee to Allah's bank
08:35in installments
08:36of around £1,500 at a time.
08:40But when Nicky's bank
08:41blocked one of those transfers,
08:43she picked up the phone
08:44to find out why.
08:45The bank said,
08:46what's that bank called?
08:49Oh, we know about that bank.
08:50It's not a real bank.
08:52And that person
08:54is not a real person.
08:56You've been scammed.
08:57The online bank account
09:01Nicky had viewed
09:02had been faked
09:03and the £1.5 million
09:05she'd seen
09:06didn't really exist.
09:08Now, Nicky knew
09:09that everything
09:10Allah had told her
09:12had been a lie.
09:14I didn't want to believe it at all.
09:16I wanted it all to be real.
09:18I was really involved
09:20with this person.
09:21I wanted her to come here
09:22and buy a boat
09:23and sail around the world.
09:25I can't tell you
09:26how much I wanted it.
09:27But it never happened.
09:34Nicky believes
09:35she spent around
09:35£20,000 on Allah,
09:38though can't be
09:38completely sure.
09:40Some of her losses
09:40were reimbursed
09:41by her bank,
09:42but the lion's share
09:43of the payments
09:44came from her
09:45PayPal account.
09:47PayPal refunded
09:48around £6,000
09:49through its
09:49buyer protection policy,
09:51but roughly
09:51£11,000
09:53was transferred
09:54using the platform's
09:56friends and family
09:57function,
09:58which comes with
09:59no such protection.
10:01But for Nicky,
10:01the biggest loss
10:03was emotional.
10:03I feel really stupid.
10:06Completely stupid.
10:07She was one of my best
10:09pals for a while.
10:11And, you know,
10:11ironically now,
10:13it's like something
10:14has kind of disappeared
10:15from my life,
10:16but I'm getting over it.
10:19Something has indeed
10:20disappeared from Nicky's
10:21life because Allah
10:22wasn't just words
10:23in a text message
10:24or photos sent
10:25via Facebook.
10:26As far as Nicky knew,
10:28this living,
10:29breathing,
10:30speaking person
10:30was Allah.
10:32But she wasn't
10:34Allah at all.
10:35In fact,
10:36her real name
10:37is Sophie Bavier.
10:39And the woman
10:40who uncovered
10:40her true identity,
10:42romance fraud expert
10:43Anna Rowe,
10:44joins me now in HQ
10:46along with fraud lawyer
10:47Aaron Chohan
10:48to unravel more truths
10:51about how the scam
10:52unfolded.
10:53This is a really
10:56extraordinary
10:57and upsetting story,
10:58actually.
10:59Anna, you, I know,
11:00have been working
11:00with Nicky on
11:01uncovering the truth
11:02about her romance fraudster.
11:04So how did you
11:05get involved,
11:06find out
11:07what was going on?
11:08I started helping
11:09victims of romance fraud
11:10back in 2017.
11:12I'd seen Nicky's story
11:14on other platforms
11:15and I actually
11:16recognised Sophie's face.
11:18So Sophie is the real person
11:20behind the pictures
11:21of Ella Morgan.
11:22Sophie is used
11:24particularly
11:25for her profession.
11:26So she is a sailor,
11:27she does work
11:28on the seas
11:29and one of the top
11:31professions
11:31that these particular
11:33fraudsters like to use
11:34is an oil rig
11:35worker scam.
11:36So Sophie's pictures
11:37fit very, very well
11:38with that.
11:39So what they've done
11:40essentially,
11:40you're going to have
11:41to explain it to me,
11:42is they've taken
11:42those videos
11:43that Sophie has put out
11:44and then they have
11:45manipulated them.
11:47So let's play the video
11:48that Nicky was sent.
11:50Good morning, Nicky.
11:51I hope you had
11:52a wonderful night.
11:52You know the reason
11:53of sending you
11:53this video to you
11:54because I want
11:55to prove myself to you
11:56and hope this video
11:57proves you wrong
11:58with all the negative
11:58thoughts.
11:59I find that really
12:00convincing.
12:01How would anybody
12:02know that wasn't
12:03for real?
12:04It's incredibly
12:05difficult.
12:06The only part
12:07of that video
12:07that's been manipulated
12:08with the AI
12:09is the mouth movements.
12:10So this is software
12:11where they would
12:12upload the saved video
12:14and they can choose
12:15a voice
12:16and then they type
12:17what they want
12:18that voice to say
12:18and then the AI
12:20manipulates it,
12:21lip syncs the lips
12:22to the movements
12:23of the speech
12:24that they want it to say.
12:25So what I want to do
12:26now is play the real video
12:28and she says something
12:29completely different.
12:30So let's play that.
12:31It's been a while
12:33we haven't done
12:34any live here
12:35so we're back
12:37and in the bridge.
12:40It's really hard
12:42to tell the difference
12:42isn't it?
12:44And what strikes me
12:44about all of this
12:45is that the effect
12:47of it on anybody
12:49who's been affected
12:50by this kind of scam
12:51is devastating
12:52isn't it?
12:53It really is.
12:54I mean we describe it
12:55as a triple trauma.
12:57So the victim
12:58who to all intents
12:59and purposes
13:00has been
13:01in a real relationship
13:02even though
13:03it was manufactured
13:04for the purpose of fraud.
13:06So they are
13:07really intense relationships.
13:09So the first trauma
13:10is that that relationship
13:12has suddenly ended
13:13and it leaves
13:13a really huge void.
13:15The second trauma
13:16is that that character
13:18that they thought
13:19they were in love with
13:20and that loved them
13:21didn't actually exist at all.
13:23And then of course
13:23the third trauma
13:24is the financial loss
13:26which can leave people
13:27devastated for years
13:28as well.
13:29And there's a particularly
13:32cruel element
13:32to the financial side
13:34of things here too.
13:36If Nikki had been duped
13:37into transferring
13:38the money from the bank
13:39chances are
13:40she would have been reimbursed.
13:42But most of it
13:43was sent via PayPal
13:44using its friends
13:45and family function
13:46which comes
13:47with no such protection.
13:49Where do you stand Aaron?
13:52PayPal have two options.
13:54They have this kind of
13:54friends and family option
13:56or paying for goods
13:57and services.
13:58These payees are set up
13:59as friends and family
14:00so if you're tricked
14:01to pay these people
14:02gosh
14:03unfortunately PayPal's
14:04resolution centre says
14:05we're not going to cover
14:06you for reimbursement
14:08so unfortunately
14:10not the same protections
14:11as you'd expect
14:12from maybe your
14:13larger retail banks.
14:14PayPal has told us
14:15it's sorry to hear
14:15about what had happened
14:16to Nikki
14:17advises customers
14:18to be wary of unusual
14:19payment requests
14:20particularly if it targets
14:21your emotions
14:22and is moving large amounts
14:24of money
14:24even when the request
14:26appears to come
14:26from someone you know.
14:27Aaron the other big player
14:29in all of this
14:29is Facebook isn't it
14:30where so-called
14:32Allah targeted Nikki
14:33in the first place.
14:34We shared the details
14:36of this case with Meta
14:37its parent company
14:38and it told us
14:38there are tips
14:39on how to avoid
14:40romance scams
14:41on its website.
14:42That advice includes
14:43beware of unsolicited messages
14:45verify unfamiliar
14:46accounts by checking
14:47when the account
14:48was created
14:48or for example
14:49doing a reverse
14:50image search
14:51on the photos
14:52to check their authenticity.
14:53Do you think
14:54that Facebook
14:54has any responsibilities here?
14:56Yeah I do think
14:57all social media platforms
14:58Facebook included
14:59do have a responsibility
15:00just having messages
15:01like they've said
15:03there about
15:03verification and so on
15:04it's not enough.
15:06They have to act themselves
15:07and remove this content
15:08otherwise
15:09it's going to continue
15:10to be a large part
15:11of the problem
15:11many victims are facing.
15:13Anna you speak
15:13to lots of victims
15:14like Nikki regularly
15:16what's your advice
15:17for people who
15:17want to meet
15:18someone online?
15:19So it's really
15:20important to remember
15:21firstly that anyone
15:22can be a victim
15:22it's not
15:23this will never
15:24happen to me.
15:26These particular
15:27fordsters do have
15:28very particular
15:29professions that
15:29they stick to
15:30because they know
15:31they work
15:32military and
15:33offshore workers
15:34oil rig like this
15:35very very very popular
15:36they will always say
15:38that they're going
15:39off to work abroad
15:40or they are already
15:41working abroad
15:42that's how they
15:42create a problem
15:43they will very
15:45often try to get
15:46you off of the
15:47platform that they
15:48meet you on
15:48really quickly
15:49normally within
15:50about 48 hours
15:51that's because
15:52algorithms can pick
15:53up what they know
15:54is the chat
15:55that's going on
15:56and the other
15:57thing to do
15:58get someone to
15:59look over things
15:59with you
16:00check it out
16:01from a cold
16:02view perspective
16:02so it's literally
16:04going back to
16:05the old adage
16:05of head over
16:07heart
16:07if you possibly
16:08can
16:09it is
16:09and if we can
16:10all keep that
16:10in mind
16:11every time we
16:11make new
16:12connections online
16:13and we do make
16:13connections online
16:14and it's a good
16:15thing in its
16:17truest form
16:17but we've got to
16:18be wary of what
16:20we're looking for
16:20out there
16:20gosh thank you
16:21both very much
16:22indeed and thanks
16:23again to Nicky
16:24as well
16:24and later on in
16:25the programme
16:25we're going to
16:26be switching our
16:26attention from
16:27the victims of
16:28romance scammers
16:28to those trying
16:29to stop them
16:30in their tracks
16:30with an insight
16:31into a team
16:32at one bank
16:33that has been
16:33dubbed the
16:34break the spell
16:35team
16:36we'll also be
16:37joined by the
16:37BBC's own
16:38scam interceptor
16:39Nick Stapleton
16:40to ask him
16:41whether that
16:41sort of initiative
16:42from the banks
16:43will really
16:44make a difference
16:45thank you both
16:46time now for
16:51our advice clinic
16:52and in the
16:53expert hot seat
16:54today is tech
16:55specialist David
16:56McClellan
16:57and we're also
16:58joined by
16:58Annette Durden
16:59from Oxfordshire
17:00an avid
17:01crocheter
17:02who is targeted
17:03by scammers
17:03when trying to
17:04sell some of
17:05her beautiful
17:05creations on
17:06Etsy
17:07and we've got
17:10an example of
17:10it here
17:11Annette tell me
17:12I'm somebody
17:12who's never
17:13mastered the art
17:14of crocheting
17:15tell me how
17:15you got into
17:17it
17:17well my brother
17:17taught me to
17:18knit when I was
17:19about five
17:19so about six
17:21years ago
17:22I had some
17:23lessons and
17:24I've never
17:24looked back
17:25I haven't picked
17:26up a pair of
17:26little needles
17:27since
17:27with more
17:29crocheted creations
17:30than she could
17:30give away
17:31Annette decided
17:32to try and
17:33sell some
17:33so set up
17:35a store
17:35on Etsy
17:36I gather
17:37the trouble
17:38began when
17:39you got a
17:39message supposedly
17:40from Etsy
17:41about your
17:42account
17:42the message
17:43said that in
17:44order to get
17:45hold of the
17:45money she'd
17:46made selling
17:46her crochet
17:47Annette needed
17:48to set up
17:49a new
17:49bank account
17:50Annette had
18:18fallen for a
18:19scammer
18:20who was
18:20pretending to
18:21be from
18:21Etsy
18:22that
18:22official
18:23looking
18:24message
18:24convinced her
18:25to set up
18:26a new
18:26Revolut account
18:27and share
18:28her virtual
18:29card details
18:30the scammer
18:31told her
18:31this was to
18:32verify her
18:33Etsy account
18:33but instead
18:34it simply
18:35enabled them
18:36to withdraw
18:37her cash
18:38the whole
18:40saga is
18:40obviously
18:41horrible
18:42David what's
18:43your take
18:43on it
18:44well like
18:44you say
18:45it's an
18:46awful saga
18:47and sadly
18:47not an
18:48isolated
18:48incident
18:49either
18:50Annette you've
18:50been very
18:51good at
18:51providing us
18:52with some
18:52screenshots
18:53that might
18:54just paint
18:54a bit of
18:55a picture
18:55here
18:55you were
18:56initially
18:56approached
18:57by someone
18:58claiming to
18:58be from
18:59support
18:59and then
19:00they sent
19:01you through
19:01to another
19:02website
19:02and it's
19:03asking you
19:04about transferring
19:05balances
19:05and so on
19:06a red flag
19:07here for me
19:09unfortunately
19:09is the web
19:11address that
19:11they've sent
19:12Annette to
19:13we would
19:13expect that to
19:14be from
19:15an Etsy.com
19:17domain
19:18an Etsy.com
19:18web address
19:19it's the
19:20scammer's
19:20web address
19:22and well
19:22we know what
19:23happens next
19:24well Annette
19:25actually we
19:26did contact
19:27Etsy and
19:27make them
19:28aware of
19:28your situation
19:29and this is
19:30what they
19:30told us
19:31that it
19:31takes the
19:32safety and
19:33security of
19:33its community
19:34extremely seriously
19:35and has
19:36expert teams
19:37in place
19:38that work
19:38constantly
19:39to combat
19:40fraudulent
19:40activity on
19:41its marketplace
19:42it said
19:43addressing this
19:44kind of scam
19:44is a top
19:45priority
19:46and it will
19:46continue to
19:47invest in
19:47solutions
19:48and work
19:49with sellers
19:49well David
19:50Etsy isn't
19:51the only
19:52platform
19:52that we've
19:53heard about
19:53where this
19:53sort of
19:54thing is
19:54happening
19:54where fraudsters
19:55pose as
19:56quote
19:56customer service
19:58representatives
19:59so is there
20:00any advice
20:00you can give
20:01people so
20:01they can
20:02detect whether
20:02or not
20:03they really
20:03are talking
20:04to the
20:04genuine
20:04company
20:05yes
20:05these fake
20:06customer
20:07support
20:07or service
20:08support
20:08accounts
20:09are
20:09unfortunately
20:09rife
20:10across a
20:11number of
20:11platforms
20:12here
20:12now on
20:13Etsy
20:14it does
20:14say that
20:15messages
20:16from Etsy
20:17appear in
20:17a special
20:18from Etsy
20:19inbox
20:19and are
20:20very clearly
20:21badged with
20:22from Etsy
20:23and other
20:23platforms may
20:24have similar
20:24badges too
20:25the big red
20:26flag for me
20:27though
20:27whatever platform
20:28whatever message
20:28is if you're
20:29asked to set
20:30up a bank
20:31account
20:31and asked to
20:32transfer money
20:33into it
20:34to you know
20:34prove you are
20:35who you say
20:36you are
20:36or whatever
20:36excuse they
20:37give you
20:37never never
20:38do that
20:39because it's
20:40always going
20:40to be fake
20:41Annette you
20:42also got in
20:43touch with
20:43Revolut
20:44didn't you
20:44what did they
20:45have to say
20:46to you
20:46they said
20:47because I
20:48confirmed the
20:49transaction
20:50they couldn't
20:51do anything
20:51about it
20:52they couldn't
20:53refund
20:53well Annette
20:54we also
20:55contacted
20:56Revolut on
20:56your behalf
20:57and it
20:57told us
20:58this
20:58it works
20:59hard and
21:00invests
21:00heavily to
21:01protect and
21:02support customers
21:03and in
21:032024
21:04it prevented
21:05£632 million
21:07of potential
21:08fraud against
21:09its customers
21:10it also
21:11added that
21:11it believes
21:12scams like
21:12this need
21:13to be tackled
21:14at source
21:15by online
21:16marketplaces
21:16but it did
21:18say it was
21:18very sorry
21:19to hear about
21:19this case
21:20and knowing
21:21the impact
21:21scams like
21:22these can
21:22have it
21:23has issued
21:23a good
21:24will payment
21:25of £238.70
21:27which I believe
21:28Annette is the
21:29original amount
21:30has that in
21:31any way
21:31compensated for
21:32all the stress
21:33and hardship
21:33that you went
21:34through
21:34I watched
21:35scam
21:36receptors
21:37I watched
21:37ripoff
21:38Britain
21:38I never
21:39thought for
21:40one minute
21:40that I would
21:41fall for a
21:41scam like
21:42this
21:42but you know
21:44it happened
21:45this made me
21:45very nervous
21:46I'm so sorry
21:47to hear that
21:48and I think
21:48that's a very
21:49common response
21:50actually to being
21:51scammed
21:51I'm very glad
21:52it hasn't made
21:52you stop
21:53crocheting
21:54and thank you
21:56so much for
21:56telling us
21:57your story
21:58and we will
21:59be returning
21:59this to you
22:01even though
22:01I want to
22:02keep it
22:02and I know
22:03David's got
22:03his eyes on
22:04it
22:04but it will
22:05be returned
22:05to you
22:06thank you
22:06so much
22:07Annette
22:07well if you've
22:15been scammed
22:15and need
22:16advice on
22:17how to get
22:17the whole
22:18thing sorted
22:18you can
22:19email us
22:20just like
22:20Annette did
22:21ripoffbritain
22:21at bbc.co.uk
22:23if we can
22:24help
22:24we will
22:25you bet
22:25we will
22:26or if you
22:26prefer
22:27you can get
22:28in touch
22:28via our
22:28Facebook page
22:29all you have
22:30to do
22:30is to search
22:30for BBC
22:31ripoff
22:32Britain
22:32or you can
22:33send a message
22:34on whatsapp
22:35and the number
22:35is 033
22:360678
22:381321
22:39or if you're
22:40a paper person
22:41please do write
22:42to us
22:42we are
22:43ripoff
22:43Britain
22:44BBC
22:44Media City
22:45UK
22:46Salford
22:47M52LH
22:49and now
22:50back to
22:51scams
22:51and we're
22:52turning our
22:52gaze to
22:53some of
22:53the biggest
22:53companies
22:54in the
22:55world
22:55the online
22:56tech giants
22:57after all
22:58it's on
22:59their platforms
22:59that millions
23:00of people
23:01fall victim
23:01to all
23:02manner of
23:03frauds
23:03and despite
23:04efforts by
23:05authorities
23:05around the
23:06world
23:06to hold
23:07their feet
23:07to the
23:08fire
23:08it often
23:09feels that
23:09we're in
23:10a losing
23:10battle
23:11trying to
23:11get them
23:11to do
23:12more
23:12to kick
23:13the fraudsters
23:13off their
23:14sights
23:14and one
23:15type of
23:16fraud is
23:16having a
23:17field day
23:18get rich
23:18quick schemes
23:19presented as
23:20sure fire
23:21investments
23:22whether it's
23:22recommended by
23:23a friend
23:24or so-called
23:24finfluencers
23:25more on them
23:26shortly
23:27they can appear
23:28very convincing
23:29but as the
23:30person in this
23:30next film
23:31found out
23:32they can land
23:33you not only
23:33seriously out of
23:34pocket
23:34but even
23:35accused of
23:36fraud
23:36yourself
23:37hi my
23:43name is
23:43farhan
23:43i'm 20
23:44years old
23:44and i'm
23:45making a
23:45video today
23:46about the
23:46dangers of
23:47online
23:47investing
23:48in april
23:502023
23:51a story on
23:52instagram
23:53caught the eye
23:53of apprentice
23:54engineer
23:55farhan
23:55wasim
23:56it suggested
23:57that he
23:57could make
23:58a 10
23:58000 pounds
23:59return
23:59with an
24:00investment
24:00of just
24:01800
24:01pounds
24:02and for
24:03him
24:04i'm very
24:05sporty car
24:05i'm in
24:06love
24:06the prospect
24:07of that
24:07sort of
24:08money
24:08was hard
24:09to resist
24:09a lot
24:10of my
24:10friends
24:10they've
24:11got new
24:11cars
24:11they're
24:12doing
24:12their
24:12own
24:12thing
24:12they're
24:13not
24:13dependent
24:13on their
24:14families
24:14and their
24:14parents
24:15like i am
24:15it does
24:16make me feel
24:17like i'm
24:17being a bit
24:18left out
24:18the post
24:20came from
24:21an account
24:21by the name
24:22of coach
24:22shalax
24:23a self-styled
24:24financial guru
24:25offering training
24:27in investment
24:27schemes
24:28in recent years
24:30platforms
24:30including instagram
24:31have become a
24:32haven for social
24:33media personalities
24:34offering money
24:35tips and
24:36tricks aimed at
24:37a younger
24:37audience
24:38there's even a
24:39name for these
24:40financial influencers
24:41who become known
24:43as finfluencers
24:44farhan got in
24:45touch with shalax
24:46i go i've seen your
24:48post on instagram
24:49i'd like to learn a
24:50little bit more
24:51she said i've made
24:52millions from this
24:53and it involves
24:55bitcoin mining
24:56and it only takes a
24:57few hours
24:57farhan was quickly
24:59drawn into an
25:00elaborate series of
25:01transactions
25:02that involved him
25:03buying bitcoin
25:04online
25:05and being loaned
25:06money by shalax
25:07to acquire even
25:08more
25:09and after just a
25:10few days
25:10and less than a
25:12thousand pounds of
25:12his money going in
25:13shalax told him his
25:15balance stood at more
25:16than ten thousand
25:17pounds
25:17that sort of money it
25:19would have
25:20i can say it would
25:22have changed our
25:22lives
25:23but to get hold of
25:24it shalax told farhan
25:26he'd have to put in
25:27more
25:27to pay for it
25:29she said she'd lend
25:30him a total of
25:31twelve hundred pounds
25:32and told him to buy
25:34bitcoin with it
25:35which he did
25:35but then shalax went
25:38quiet
25:38and a few days later
25:43farhan got a letter
25:44from his bank
25:45it says we've frozen
25:47your account while we
25:49review recent activity
25:50that's when then i
25:51started to panic a
25:52little bit
25:53then two months later
25:55both his banks closed
25:56his accounts for good
25:57as far as i was aware
25:59i hadn't done anything
26:00wrong and i couldn't
26:01comprehend why it was
26:02happening to me
26:03in search of answers
26:04farhan checked his
26:06details on the national
26:07fraud database cifas
26:09it all came crashing
26:11down when i opened that
26:12document i saw it
26:13filed in june under
26:16misuse of facility a
26:18third party fraud
26:20facilitator filed by my
26:23main bank
26:23the banks accused farhan
26:27of being a money mule
26:28it seemed he'd unwittingly
26:30been laundering dirty
26:31cash
26:31i'm still scared that the
26:34police are going to one
26:34day turn up on my door
26:35and i'm facing this issue
26:37where at the start of my
26:38life i cannot get any
26:39credit or anything at all
26:42and i've been labeled a
26:44fraud facilitator through no
26:46fault of my own
26:47since this film was first broadcast
26:50farhan has appealed his bank's
26:53decision to put a fraud
26:54marker on his account but
26:56says it's sticking by its
26:57decision meaning he's still
26:59stuck in financial limbo at the
27:02same time concerns have been
27:04growing about the activities of
27:05people like shalax illegal fin
27:07fluences using social media
27:10platforms to promote get rich
27:11quick schemes well joining me in
27:14hq now to lift the lid on what's
27:16being called an international
27:17crackdown on that activity is
27:19tech expert david mcclelland and
27:21fraud lawyer aaron shohan
27:23aaron i'm coming to you first
27:26fin fluences where did that spring
27:28from it's a relatively new phrase
27:30but what we're talking about here
27:31is that you've got these
27:32individuals who are on social
27:34media platforms selling what
27:36looks like legitimate financial
27:38advice what we're seeing more of
27:41is that these fin fluences are
27:42selling an education program
27:44which will lead to unique
27:45opportunities for those
27:47individuals who go on the course
27:48and pay the fees to make
27:49themselves wealthier but it's
27:51all smoke and dust it doesn't
27:53exist and that's how they're
27:54getting about it so david is it
27:56in a way is there motivation
27:57like selling the dream is that
27:58it that's absolutely part of the
28:00motivation and i just want to
28:01make it very clear that not all
28:03fin fluences are fraudsters there
28:06are a lot of great completely
28:07legitimate fin fluences out there
28:09who play a really important part
28:11in financial literacy and education
28:13using social media as that
28:15platform however as with all walks
28:17of life there is a subset who's
28:18seen opportunity to make some
28:20money and they're capitalizing on
28:22social media speed anyone can sell
28:24themselves as an expert flying in
28:26the face of the regulations that
28:28would stop them doing the same
28:29thing on the high street
28:30legitimate independent financial
28:33advisors they've gone through exams
28:35they're regulated with the financial
28:37conduct authority but what we're
28:39seeing now is people are learning
28:40about financial investments pensions
28:43everything really around finance
28:45through short bite-sized videos
28:47rather than longer articles longer
28:49programs or training and that's
28:51where the criminals have seen the gap
28:53and that's where we're seeing more
28:54and more of these scams to combat
28:56illegal fin fluences pushing scam
28:58investments in june 2025 regulator of
29:02the financial conduct authority along
29:05with counterpart organizations in five
29:07other countries launched a crackdown
29:09in the uk that led to criminal
29:12proceedings against three individuals
29:14and 650 takedown requests against
29:17social media platforms carrying
29:19unauthorized fin fluencers content
29:22facebook and other social media
29:25platforms have a responsibility under
29:27our old friends the online safety act
29:29to take down this type of content
29:32fraudsters they embark in practices
29:34known as lifeboating or phoenixing
29:37it's another way of putting it so
29:39that when a company or an online
29:41profile gets shut down you could very
29:43quickly create a dozen more with an
29:45identical profile photo and you know
29:47maybe very very similar names and
29:49there's nothing to stop you from doing
29:51that and for me this is the proactive
29:54as well as reactive they aren't even
29:56doing the reactive thing yet and you
29:57would think for all of the technical
29:59capabilities that big tech has they could
30:01do the proactive stuff as well but i see
30:03very little evidence of it we put those
30:06points to facebook's owner meta but it
30:08didn't respond the fca says people
30:11should check its online warning list
30:12before making any investments and aaron
30:16says there are other ways that we can
30:17all avoid scams so what is your advice
30:20aaron well i think firstly stand back
30:22and look at the content you're engaging
30:24with you need to understand it so what are
30:27they selling can you get behind the person
30:29who said can you see that they are on the fca
30:32register and go on the fca website and
30:34check that are they not using emotional
30:36language language that makes you want to
30:38act quickly or think you're going to miss
30:40out on the one opportunity you'll never
30:42get again and i think the only thing i'd
30:44build on from what aaron says there
30:46particularly on the social media platforms
30:48a lot of these fraudulent finfluencers will
30:51hide behind verified profiles the blue
30:54tick or whatever you cannot trust if somebody
30:57has a blue tick they may well have paid for
31:00it it's not indicative of authenticity or
31:03credibility and i would add that all that
31:05information will be in our website it's
31:07bbc.co.uk slash ripoff britain many thanks
31:11to the boys for some great advice
31:13earlier in the program we brought you the
31:21story of nikki mcleod the former university
31:23lecturer who was ruthlessly exploited in a
31:26romance scam rinsing her of more than 15
31:29000 pounds it was only when nikki's bank
31:32stepped in and spoke to her directly that
31:33the truth began to dawn but breaking the
31:36spell of romance scams like this is no easy
31:39task as we found out after spending time
31:41with one bank team whose mission it is to
31:45save victims from the clutches of the romance
31:47scammers this unassuming office in bootle
31:53merseyside is home to a call center like no
31:56other can i ask when did you meet this
31:58person a specialist team of 24 has been set
32:02up to help victims of scams see the light
32:05and how long have you been speaking to this
32:07person online can i ask this is banking
32:09group santander's break the spell team
32:12hi i'm claire good afternoon hi my name's
32:16caroline it's really important that you're
32:18honest with us today because i need you
32:20just make sure that you're not falling
32:22victim to a scam
32:26and we've been given rare access to see the
32:29team in action michelle pillsworth is in
32:32charge of the bank's anti-fraud operation
32:35so we deal with all kinds of scams here
32:37customers who are victims of impersonation
32:39scams were hmrc or police or somebody's
32:41pretending to be somebody else
32:44but she says it's romance scams that present
32:47the biggest challenge
32:49these are the hardest type of scams because
32:51these are where customers truly believe
32:53they're in a relationship and they need to
32:55send money to keep them safe
32:59all the leading uk high street banks have
33:01fraud prevention measures in place
33:03often involving a combination of technology and
33:06anti-scam education for customers
33:09but santander says its initiative is unique
33:12because of the in-depth training of its
33:14team that specializes in highly complex and
33:17emotionally involved cases
33:19every call has been put through from other
33:21parts of the bank where colleagues have become
33:24concerned that a customer's activity could
33:27indicate that they're a victim of a scam
33:29what happened is the criminal invest many many days
33:32weeks months in socially engineer our customer
33:36to make them believe their story
33:39so they tell them not to trust the bank
33:40not to trust their family not to trust their friend
33:42keep it a secret
33:43so we need to try and ensure our customer trust us
33:46and then we can work with them to realize
33:49that they are a victim of a crime
33:51hello it's now a convenient time for me to speak to you
33:55christy dobson oversees the team we get around 30 to 50 referrals a day
34:00from our fraud prevention colleagues it is quite difficult to manage a team where
34:05the conversations are so emotional the customer really doesn't want to
34:08believe that that person they're speaking to
34:11isn't there for their best interest and that can be really upsetting for the
34:14customer and the colleague one of the spell breakers is elena so i'm just
34:19giving you a call it's in regards to a payment that you tried to make we did have
34:24some slight concerns over it so this call is just to try and alleviate these
34:28concerns so we can get it all sorted for you is that okay
34:32the customer elena is speaking to has been targeted by what's known as the
34:36keanu reeves scam where a criminal posing as the hollywood actor builds up a
34:41relationship with a victim before defrauding them
34:44can i just ask are you in a relationship with keanu or is it just a friendship
34:49but like many scam victims the customer is
34:52in denial and elena needs to gain her trust a lot of the time customers will
34:58be told or made to feel like they can't trust their own bank
35:01and they'll say things to us that are just not true
35:03i can assure you that it's completely safe for you to be honest with us okay
35:07the bank's fraud detection system has previously identified a suspicious
35:12payment being made by the customer
35:14and blocked it his bank details don't match his name
35:18and often when the account details do not match it is because who you're paying
35:22does not exist
35:24satisfied that the customer is being manipulated by a scammer
35:29she tries to break the spell
35:30is this payment anything to do with keanu like for example is it his manager is it friends of keanu do
35:38you know the customer opens up revealing the payee is someone claiming to be part of the actors
35:44management team prompting a reality check from elena it sounds amazing who wouldn't want to be
35:50friends with a celebrity but unfortunately that's how they manage to trick you you can even search
35:55into google keanu reeves romance scam but before the spell is fully broken the customer ends the call
36:03elena was keen to call her back later that day but the caller said she wanted to check some further
36:08details first so we'll waste a few days then we're going to give her a call back and then hopefully then
36:15we can fully break it the team can have as many as two calls a week over several weeks or even months
36:22with one individual customer as they slowly help them come to terms with what's been going on
36:29across the office claire has just come off her third call with one man she suspects of being
36:35embroiled in a romance scam and she's taking colleague sean through the results of her investigation
36:41she's discovered that the man's girlfriend has told him she has to travel abroad to tend to a
36:46critically ill relative he's provided me with a few images which i have done a reverse image
36:53search on it and it has come back with a number of images getting used of that person and he's also
36:59provided me with documentation and that's coming up as you know it's it's a scam have we talked through
37:05the red flags this year regarding that documentation yeah so i've spoken all about it so i'm going to give
37:10him some time to go through it because obviously i've told him how these romance scams work he's
37:16obviously upset but i think he's understanding the more i'm going through it it's good that the customer's
37:21being cooperative with sharing that information and hopefully once we speak to him again we'll be
37:27able to pull them apart a little bit more and walk them through them yeah are you all okay yourself yeah
37:32yeah i'll be all right once once i've spoken to him and he's done his own checks i think we'll get
37:37them sorted and get them supported as well for claire romance scams can be some of the hardest to deal
37:45with you can't say to someone you know first call you're speaking to a scammer you need to stop you
37:51you can't do that because especially romance scams so they just continue you know these texts this love
37:58bombing as they call it to make them think that it is all above boards regardless of the money whether
38:06it's small or big it's it's still a massive effect on that customer a few days after we filmed the
38:12customer that eleanor had been speaking to went into their local branch and confirmed to staff
38:18they'd been scammed as for claire's case after five calls from the team the man accepted that he'd
38:25been targeted by a romance scammer when he saw the same photos being used with multiple aliases online
38:32thankfully the bank's fraud detection system intercepted payments before either victim lost
38:37any money so that's a romance scam from the bank's point of view but how did the scammers actually enact
38:44the crime to lift the lid on that i'm joined in hq now by scam interceptors nick stapleton
38:53nick these scammers seem to be increasingly prolific can you explain how the operation works it all starts
39:00very often with groups on social media what scammers will do is they'll just join kind of groups where
39:05people are reminiscing about old times for example because then they know that they're getting a
39:09particular demographic we even see it on the ripoff britain and the morning live facebook pages so
39:15scammers join those groups because they can then target people in the comments if they see a picture
39:19they like they'll send them a comment and say hey be my friend and i'll start try and start a
39:23conversation by direct message after that and are the scammers working as individuals no generally
39:29speaking i would say romance scammers now work in teams and there's a good reason for that
39:34they have these things called hustle kingdoms which are basically like scam universities where
39:39if you're a low-level romance scammer and you're just starting out you take maybe 30 of what you make
39:45from your romance scams and you pay 70 of your take to the hustle kingdom now the hustle kingdom
39:50is like a roof over your head but it's also a place that's going to give you a laptop it's going
39:55to give you a phone so essentially provide you the tools that you need to be able to run romance
39:59scams on top of that it's going to give you colleagues now why are colleagues useful to a
40:04romance scammer it lets them call on a cast of characters so when they're running their scam if
40:09they need to make their story more believable they can say oh yeah i was injured at work you know i can
40:14introduce you to the doctor so he can explain to you what happened to me you might even have people
40:17who have different specialisms within the hustle kingdom so you'll have one person who's good at fake
40:21documentation one person who knows how to make a deep fake video as we saw in nikki's case and
40:26that means of course there's just all these more tools that allow them to extract money from their
40:29target and if someone has a suspicion that they might be being targeted in that way what should
40:35they do i think the really important thing is if you've got a relationship with somebody online and
40:40you're not sure about it have a chat with your family about it have a chat with some trusted friends
40:45about it and see what they think equally you can talk to charities who deal with romance
40:49fraud there's plenty of those out there but most importantly if you have exchanged money and you
40:53now think it's a scam get onto your bank report it to them good advice there nick thanks very much
40:58indeed thanks for having me it's time now to grill our expert david and aaron on more scam related
41:07cases from the ripoff britain inbox and i'm sad to say we do get plenty of different cases david this
41:13one is for you vanessa hunter says we're constantly told not to click on any links received on a text
41:19message yet her doctors and hospital send text messages asking to click on the link she says
41:25this is so confusing for older people who don't know whether to click the link or not i entirely
41:30agree how can she know which is genuine and which is a scam i entirely agree as well so to check
41:36the authenticity of a text message that you've received what one tip that i've got is if it's from
41:42like a government body or the hmrc or maybe one of these delivery firms then go to their website
41:49because and i've checked they have pages especially about the messages that they will send to you
41:55saying this is what we will send we will never send one of these have a double check there before
42:00you click through on any link good advice thank you okay aaron we're back to investment again because
42:05sylvia jackson says a year ago she invested 250 pounds of what she thought was cryptocurrency now
42:12the company has tried to pest her to invest more money and most recently that her current investment
42:18is worth 90 000 pounds which they say is held in a safe wallet and to transfer it out she needs to buy
42:24refundable insurance of around 8 000 pounds so she has reviews so far does it sound like a scam i think
42:31yes and i think sylvia probably knows it sounds like a scam it's such a common technique to say look
42:36pay us some money and we'll release this money that we can show you you've got on a cloned website
42:41or some documents to make you believe the money's there
Sé la primera persona en añadir un comentario