Oxford pensioner scammed out of £20,000 life savings

Leonard Adams of Cowley is a retired decorator but has had to start doing work again after losing the vast sum of money.

He was contacted with a phone call from someone claiming to be Lloyds Bank on Monday, August 21, 2023.

The pensioner was told that he needed to transfer £20,000 at his local branch at Templars Square shopping centre to a separate account.

“I had a phone call in the morning apparently from Lloyds telling me that my account was no longer safe as someone had tried to take £20,000,” said Leonard.

“My reaction was that I needed to get to the bank to save my money because I only live five minutes away.

“I went round to the bank and the scammers told me not to say anything to the bank staff as they told me that they suspected one of the staff could be a scammer.”

The Lloyds Bank branch at Templars Square. (Image: Newsquest)

The 71-year-old was then given the details of a different account and encouraged to deposit the £20,000 within it.

“They gave me an account number and a sort code as well as a name, which was Jean Tecau and they asked me to pay £20,000 into this account to ensure the money was safe,” explained Leonard.

“They said if I moved the money into a different account, once it was safe they would move it back.

“I did this and the staff at the bank asked some questions about if anyone had told me to move the money and I said no because I thought one of them could be fraudulent.”

Leonard was scammed out of his life savings. (Image: Newsquest)

It was only once Leonard had left Templars Square that the panic hit him as he realised what had just happened.

“After I moved the money I walked up the road and thought what had just happened so I returned to the bank five minutes later,” he added.

“I said I didn’t know what had just happened and the bank told me I had been scammed.

“They tried to stop the money going out and they reckon there was only £500 left that they could rescue from that account and return to me.”

The branch is in Templars Square shopping centre in Cowley.

The pensioner has spoken out about the incident to warn other vulnerable people of sharing the same fate.

“From the beginning, I didn’t know how the scammers work because I just assumed that they would just ask for my card details if they were scammers,” said Leonard.

“I just assumed that they worked for Lloyds and I feel absolutely terrible as I was always someone that said they would never catch me.

“I am angry with the bank as I thought they would do more and I have conceded that I will never get that money back as it was my life savings so it is horrendous.

“You should be careful and always check out any calls that you have that may be suspicious as it is something I didn’t do.”

Leonard feels angry after being scammed. (Image: Newsquest)

The Oxford Mail contacted Lloyds Bank about the scam to which the bank issued a reminder to customers to stay wary of potential scams.

A spokesperson for Lloyds said: “We have a great deal of sympathy for Mr Adams as a victim of an impersonation scam.

 “Customers should always be wary of out-of-the-blue calls claiming to be their bank.

“It’s important to remember your bank will never ask you to move money to protect it, under any circumstances.

“They will also never ask you to lie to make sure a payment goes ahead.

 “If you’re ever in doubt, hang up and call back on a number you trust, not one you’ve been given over the phone.

“Don’t be rushed into anything, and if a message is claiming to be from someone you know, contact them in a different way, to confirm it is them.”