A WOMAN is warning others to be on their guard after claiming she was conned out of £25,000 by fraudsters.

Vanessa Osborne, who lives in St Andrew’s Ridge, says she received a call from what she believed was Virgin Media on Tuesday telling her she was entitled to a £143 refund. She was asked to hand over her account number and sort code to confirm where to pay the money into.

“I didn’t think anything of it and then half an hour later I had another call from Natwest to say my account had been compromised,” said Vanessa, 52.

“They told me for security reasons they needed to get my funds into two safe accounts and they asked if I had any accounts online.

“They read me my account number and sort code so I had no reason not to believe them because how else would they have known that?”

Unbeknown she was falling victim to a sophisticated scam, and transferred £25,000 from all of her accounts.

After calling Natwest back, Vanessa says she was told that while the new account numbers she had were correct, they were not in her name so due to data protection, they were unable to help her further.

She added: “It was only after I got off the phone that it was pure panic that I thought something wasn’t right. It came across as a genuine bank. When you are panicking and thinking oh my god my account has been compromised that when you’re talking to what you think is a bank, you sort of believe it.

“I thought after I hung up that something doesn’t add up here. This is something that people need to be aware about so they don’t fall for it.

“A lot of people are embarrassed because you feel so stupid afterwards but at the time it is just blind panic at the thought of your account being hacked.”

Due to the money being wired to other accounts, it is not thought that Vanessa will see a penny of the £25,000 ever again.

Action Fraud say they’ve received Vanessa’s complaint which is waiting to be assessed. Wiltshire Police also confirmed the matter had been reported to them and offered the following advice to others:

• A genuine bank official will never ask you to reveal personal financial details, about your account over the phone or ask you to withdraw or transfer money to different accounts or and deliver money to them at a named location.

• A real police bank official will not mind you checking them out. However always hang up your phone and use a different phone either mobile, friends or neighbours if necessary to make a call to 101 or to your local bank branch. The suspect will hold your landline open leading you to believe that you are dialling out when actually they are still there.

• Never allow the person to transfer you.

• Always use a number that you know to be true.

• If you have any reservations about the call put the phone down.

• Always speak to someone about what has happened. Whether this is talking to a family member or mentioning it to you bank.

• Do not keep quiet or make up a story about why you are withdrawing money because this is what you have been told to do over the phone.

• Remember, you are always in control of the call not the person calling you. Always hang up if you are suspicious and report it.

• Call 101 and/or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 if you are suspicious of any activity or have been a victim of fraud.