A woman who bought a £150 tablet in Tenerife was left ‘distraught’ after discovering she’d been scammed out of more than £2,000.
Bridget Manning, 84, was looking at clothes while on holiday in the Canary Islands last month when a shopkeeper approached her to ask if she was interested in buying any cheap electronics.
He offered a ‘top of the range’ tablet for just £150 and to help seal the deal, even told Bridget that she could hand over a deposit of just £26 to try the device out, before returning to pay the rest before she flew home.
After trialling the tablet, Bridget, a widow from Warwickshire, decided to make the purchase and popped in just before she was due to return home.
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However, once she landed she was devastated to discover that two of her bank accounts had been completely emptied of £2,128.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Bridget said: “It seemed like a good deal and they were very charming — they even offered me and my friends soft drinks and had us sit down.
“I need this money to pay my bills. I am so distraught — I’ve been crying for many days and cannot sleep at night.”
Bridget says that when she tried to make the purchase she was told that the card she uses for her holidays wasn’t working, so she used a different debit card, which the shopkeeper told her had gone through.
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Bridget says the scammer had deliberately dangled his hand over the screen on the terminal so she couldn’t see how much she was being charged. She also says she wasn’t given a receipt.
According to the Daily Mail, one red flag with such scams is that the person selling the item will suggest you return to pay the full amount on the last day of your holiday, which means you’re likely hundreds of miles away before you realise you've been conned.
After realising she’d had her money swiped, Bridget got in touch with Santander who initially told her as she had willingly used her card and PIN, there was nothing the bank could do.
But since speaking to the Daily Mail, the bank has since reimbursed Bridget the full £2,128.
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A spokesperson from Santander warned: “We would encourage all customers always to check carefully that they are paying the correct amount before making any payment, and if they are in any doubt not to make it.”
Claire Reid