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You and Yours: Under the Spell

Under the Spell

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Under the Spell

Under the spell of criminals. How a couple lied to banks trying to protect them from fraud

Under the spell of criminals, one couple lied to banks trying to protect them but over a three-week period lost £86,000. Banks say breaking the spell is their biggest challenge.

The Spell is the process criminals use to bait the hook, fish for, and then ensnare their victims in a system of belief that is so strong it prevents them listening to internal alarm bells. It can lead to complete devastation both financially, and when the spell breaks, emotionally.

It happens across all types of fraud. With romance fraud, "The Spell" can take months to cast, It can involve sending photographs and gifts, bewitching someone to the point where they are in love and they will send money when asked.   It can happen when people call claiming to be the police or the bank. They can tell you to ignore all the warnings from your bank and persuade you to lie.

Under "The Spell" people who would never think of themselves as liars, will lie. Shari Vahl meets two people at their tiny 2 bedroom flat in West Yorkshire,  Ann is 65, James is 70.  James is having treatment for prostate cancer. The couple wanted to help their grown up sons financially.  Ann replied to an ad on Facebook which claimed the political journalist Andrew Marr had made a load of money investing in crypto currency, a claim, he tells the programme is fake and he would never endorse.  They responded and very quickly got a call from a lovely sounding woman , who claimed she was a financial advisor and would make them rich by investing their money in crypto currency.

Using fake websites and apps showing their investment was appreciating very quickly the criminal - calling herself Giselle Thomas - cast a spell so powerful Ann and James believed every word she said.  

Ann and James are bereft, humiliated and deeply traumatised by what happened - and want to warn others about "The Spell"

PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: DAVE JAMES

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