Bank intervenes in car scam
A new bank system has saved hundreds of people from scams including luring people into buying fictitious cars according to the BBC.
A specific case revealed by the BBC saw scammers attempt to dupe 72 year old Barry Fox out of £10,000 for a fictitious Rolls-Royce. The retired lorry driver went into his Barclays branch intending to withdraw the cash to pay for the luxury car he saw on an internet auction site.
Staff were concerned and used a new system to alert police to the case and, within 30 minutes, officers were there. They made checks and alerted Mr Fox to the fact he was about to be scammed.
Some 1,262 calls have been made by bank staff to police or trading standards under the Banking Protocol system that should see an officer arrive to offer help within an hour. UK Finance, which represents the major banks, said this had saved potential victims a combined total of £9.1m in its first year of operation. Individuals had been saved between £99 and £212,000 each.
More than 100 arrests have been made after calls were made by concerned bank staff.
