'Banking scammers blew £30,000 of my cash on Louis Vuitton spree and gambling', says shocked Sheffield woman

A shocked Sheffield woman has told how scammers cleaned out her bank account, blowing over £30,000 on designer clothes, online gambling and loans.

Sharna Williams was left with nothing, after falling victim to 'spoofing' - where criminals change how their number appears on a mobile phone screen to make it look legitimate.

By the time Sharna knew what had happened, crooks had spent between £30,000 and £50,000. The scam has destroyed her faith in internet banking.

She is urging people who suspect a scam to call 159, or phone the number on the back of their card.

Sharna said: "I became a victim of an ATO, Account Takeover, in October due to scammers 'spoofing' the bank's number and taking over my accounts, savings and taking out personal loans.

"They visited Louis Vuitton and gambled many, many times in my name. The total reaches in the region of 30 to 50k." Her nightmare began when she received a phone call from someone pretending to be from HSBC saying they suspected fraud on her account. She was suspicious, so googled the telephone number, which appeared to confirm it was HSBC. She felt relaxed, but concerned there was suspected fraud on her account.

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The scammer asked her to call back to go through security checks 'to check it was her'. She did, and responded to a voice recognition request. The scammer said checks had been successfully passed, and he would put a stop on her account, but she would still be able to use her cards.

She says the scammers were actually trying to impersonate her, and undertake a complete account take-over.

She says they locked her out of all her accounts, and her online banking, and said they were going to investigate for 28 days.

Meanwhile, Sharna went about her business as normal, shopping and using her cards. Seven days later, she received a letter outlining a loan in her name for £14,500.

She called the bank to report it immediately. They said she would receive a letter on the Monday telling her how to reset her phone. It didn't arrive, so she went into her branch on The Moor, where she heard the extent of what had been happening.

The scammers had taken all of her savings, and taken big loans in her name. Sharna believes they were based in London. They had been to Louis Vuiton three times, spending £1,800. They had also gambled large amounts, with Skybet transactions ranging from £400 to £500 per time.

Distressed, she spent three hours in the bank trying to rectify the damage. The scammers had made her go overdrawn, so she didn't have any money even for a bus fare.

She said she felt the customer care and service were lacking from the bank.

Having been scammed on the phone, she felt afraid to take calls from the bank, but struggled to find anyone to speak to her face to face.

She said first and foremost she wants banks to recognise customers are also human beings. She feels customers should be protected more and cannot understand how personal loans are taken, without photo ID.

She wants banks to understand the real impact fraud has on its victims and create more in depth, layered security checks, and face to face options.

She said: "I find it quite distressing that after what had happened to me, I was still expected to undergo things online or on the phone. I would have much preferred to deal with one person who I felt comfortable with."

She said the bank had no one in Sheffield, a city of over 500,000 people, who could speak face to face to customers about mortgages, and was told she would have to travel to Leeds.

HSBC UK said in a statement: “Fraudsters are devious individuals who target vulnerable customers without a second thought for the consequences of their actions or the impact it has on customers.

"This fraud was particularly complex and required the collaboration of different teams within the bank to rectify. However, in some elements of the service we provided we fell short of the high standards we set ourselves.

"We’re sorry for this and have apologised to the customer, with the matter being resolved in December of 2023, with compensation being accepted. The customer does have the option to take her complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, if she remains unhappy.”

Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh said: "It is quite clear that Sharna has been a victim of online fraud, and this caused her a huge amount of distress. When she contacted my office, I got straight onto HSBC and managed to return the money that had been taken from her fraudulently as well as a £1,500 compensation payment, within 10 days.

"The way that the branch of HSBC treated Sharna is appalling. When she reported this to them, her account was left in overdraft, and they refused to release any funds leaving her having to borrow money from friends and family.

"Banks must do more to support people who are a victim of online fraud and ensure they have recourse to funds whilst they carry out their investigations."

She said Labour wanted to reinforce protection in financial services,

Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, confirmed the organisation received details of Sharna's case on October 18, 2023.

She said: "It was assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) at the City of London Police but has not been passed to a police force for investigation at this time.”

“With more than 850,000 reports coming into the NFIB each year, not all cases can be passed on for further investigation.

"Reports are assessed against a number of criteria which include the vulnerability of the victim.

"However, the reports most likely to present an investigative opportunity for local police forces, those where a crime is ongoing and those that present the greatest threat and harm to the victim or victims concerned, are the ones that are prioritised."