Lowestoft care worker saves 103 year old woman from a scam she lost £50,000 on
Sally Mills and Paul Watts are to receive Certificates of Merit from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service for stepping in
We're being urged to stay vigilant in the face of scams - after a 103 year old woman from Lowestoft lost £50,000 to an international scam.
Care worker Sally Mills, along with her boss Paul Watts, stepped in when they realised the vulnerable woman was being targeted - and they're now being recognised for stopping her from losing any more money - with Certificates of Merit from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service.
How it Started
Sally told us that this all began with a letter she'd been asked to put in the post: "I popped it on the passenger seat of the car and began to drive, and when the letter fell and opened, it revealed £45 in cash."
Sally picked it up and saw the letter was going to be sent to Austria.
She thought this was odd and brought it up with her boss Paul. Together they then reached out to Suffolk Trading Standards and began keeping an eye on the lady.
Later on, Sally says it was revealed to them: "The money was being used for drug trafficking, people trafficking and sex trafficking with an international crime ring.
"The letters were going to Europe and then they were being intercepted to go to America and Canada."
How she was targeted
Sally explained to us that the lady received magazines in the post where she could buy clothes.
In these magazines, letters were hidden, which is how the initial contact was made.
The woman had been talking to the scammers for years and they knew everything about her, and would send long letters back, which Sally says gave the lady comfort: "Anything to stop her from being lonely.
"They were 5 to 6 pages long, which filled a very empty void in her life.
"One of them even sent a picture of himself - we now know it wasn't him."
Sally believes the lady really did 'love' the scammer but says she was told not to tell her family because "they wouldn't understand. Don't tell your family because if you do, they may not visit you again."
The scammers also pretended to be clairvoyant, writing to the lady, saying: 'If you send the money by the end of the week something good will happen.'
How to prevent scamming
We asked Sally what are people can look out for to prevent their own loved ones from becoming victims of scams like this.
She told us: "Don't let vulnerable people have a lot of cash in that house...
"Look out for letters that are big and so obvious... if particularly concerned you can intercept the the mail.
"If they're getting confused, get the mail sent to a relatives address and then you can stop it altogether.
"Keep them close. Just check in on them."