A Co Armagh couple have been conned out of almost £80,000 by scammers.
In a phone call purporting to be from the "Fraud Squad" in London police they were told their bank accounts had been hacked.
When the man checked his account, he noticed a transaction which he had not authorised and was advised to set up a separate account to protect his cash.
The couple then transferred £77,000 (€92,254) to the new account set up by the scammers.
"Any amount of money lost to a scammer is a horrible experience. In this particular case, where such a significant amount of money has been taken, it is devastating, "said PSNI Inspector Mark Conway.
"This couple have been conned out of their hard-earned cash - tens of thousands of pounds. We can only imagine how distressing and traumatic this ordeal is for them."
The police are investigating.
We need everyone to be vigilant after a couple from Co. Armagh were conned out of close to £80k. We have lots of advice and information about to spot and stop scams and how to protect yourself. #KeepingPeopleSafe https://t.co/eGJMJi5KFT pic.twitter.com/sVIpOuf1jo
— Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) March 24, 2022
Mr Conway urged families to speak to older relatives about online banking security.
"Always err on the side of caution.
"It's also really important if you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers will never seek their personal details, such as banking information, over the phone. This is a really important conversation to have."
