Real stories
“It’s made me very, very suspicious. You just cannot sleep properly and it’s just on your mind all the time.”
Joan Holdaway – £1,000 investment fraud. Her money was returned in full. Joan later shared her experience during the BBC’s national Scam Safe Week coverage, which included BBC Radio 4 Money Box.
“They explained what needed to happen and kept me updated.”
Brian – investment fraud. Most of the £100,000 at risk was returned by one bank. Financial Fraud Advocacy helped challenge another bank’s refusal and the final £25,000 was returned after the case went through the Financial Ombudsman process.
“Without that support, we’d still be stuck.”
Son of an 86-year-old victim – £26,000 financial exploitation case. An advocate accompanied the family to the bank and the full amount was returned.
“My wife and I felt totally helpless; it was quite scary.”
Ian Finlay – SIM swap fraud. Five credit card accounts and three bank accounts were compromised, with more than £50,000 taken fraudulently. The banks made sure Ian was not left out of pocket and VCAS supported him following the crime.
“It’s taken a lot of time and support to rebuild my confidence.”
Jayne – romance fraud. The retired teacher lost £50,000 after being targeted through a dating site. £30,000 was recovered, but the emotional impact continued long after the fraud.
“I’m just exhausted with it all. It’s been going on such a long time.”
Julie – cryptocurrency push payment fraud. She lost more than £27,000 and received practical and emotional support from VCAS while pursuing further action through the Financial Ombudsman.