‘My 80-Year-Old Mum Was Scammed Out of £115,000’ | This Morning

Last year, £13.5 million was lost to gift card scams alone in the UK. One person who knows all too well the devastating impact of these scams is Debbie Horwood, whose mum was tricked out of over £115,000. But what are gift card scams and how can you spot them? Debbie joins us today, alongside Alice Beer to reveal just how easy it is to be conned out of your cash, as well as revealing the warning signs.
Broadcast on 27/02/2024
Subscribe to This Morning for more exclusive videos: bit.ly/1JM41yF
FOLLOW US:
/ thismorning
/ thismorning
/ thismorning
MORE ABOUT THIS MORNING:
Welcome to the official This Morning Channel! Join us every weekday from 10am on ITV1 and STV as we discuss the latest news stories, meet the people behind the stories that matter, chat to the biggest names in Hollywood, get the latest fashion & beauty trends, and cook up a storm in our kitchen with your favourite chefs!
And did we mention we have quite a few laughs along the way too?
#ThisMorning

[@lauralaura12345]

The cashiers can't stop the stubborn old ladies, they will aruge you up and down instead of admitting they fell for a scam.

[@tsuguminiyamoto6417]

A couple of years agao, I saw a lady trying to buy a large amount of gift cards at my local ASDA. From what I heard her saying, it sounded like a classic scam. So fighting my very British embarrassment, I went up and explained to the lady she was being scammed and after a bit of explanation (and help from the cashier), she realised what was happening. She kept saying that her friend was messaging her, so I told her to ask the "friend" a question that no one else could answer. That did the trick!

[@emilysutton1297]

I work in a supermarket and we frequently get people mainly older ladies trying to buy multiple gift cards saying it’s for a friends or someone abroad , our tills don’t let you buy multiple cards at high values and I myself have advised many customers buying them and I have suspected it’s a scam and not to do it or share the card details it’s such a sad way of scamming

[@stewartgallagher5804]

What supermarket? Im with sainsburys and dont think ive seen any block or msg

[@beckscald3855]

Good on you. Wonder if stores selling gifts cards can put up signs as warning.

[@amsmith29]

more signs?@@beckscald3855

[@dw4525]

A fool and their money are easily parted…

[@beckscald3855]

@@dw4525 when there's supposed to be protocol in store for employees that's one thing. Scammers can be really convincing. I've seen smart people get scammed. Don't judge.

[@OfficialPooYT]

Good on tesco for refunding this vulnerable person

[@alliebenson4653]

This isn’t new. I worked in a post office in Australia a decade ago and remember an old man coming and trying to buy loads of travel money cards, really anxious and panicky. We knew straight away that someone was scamming him and refused to sell the travel cards. We saved him hundreds of dollars. Not sure if he tried elsewhere but hopefully we planted enough of a seed of doubt to stop him from giving any money to the scammer.

[@user-xf7kc8cp4x]

Of course it isn't new.

[@donaldsinden934]

Same old scams, just in new clothes.

[@jennywager6228]

This happened to my son who has autism. The scammers conned him out of thousands. Horrendous!!!!! It's awful and made him ill. The shops need to do more....

[@marleyhill34]

Get the bank to put a block on his card. I have a block on my card as I'm neurodivergent and I lose things so i don't want criminals stealing 1000s. To get the block removed i have to ring them up and answer a whole bunch of information about from my bank statement or go to the bank in person. I'd never be allowed to spend what she spent in one day in multiple locations at supermarkets! Now some people have a business account that allows large purchases so maybe thats why the bank didnt flag it.

[@donaldsinden934]

You need to be controlling his finances much better, as you say he was vunrable.

[@glynarchie5765]

Somone told me years ago , it stuck with me, as soon as you walk out of your front door, everybody in the outside world want to take your money, i would add to that , these days inside as well.

[@gabrielletanner5339]

Never send a stranger money...

[@user-qy9rt9cy2b]

Why would you send money too a stranger

[@mj3026]

But that’s the thing she thought it was for her school friend that was in need so she helped him

[@pinky-ud1rt]

Excatly

[@OfficialPooYT]

Send me some cash and you can win a holiday to Skegness 😂😂😂 (joke)

[@safiya1363]

@@mj3026 a school friend that you haven’t seen in years should be considered a stranger imo

[@annaliseoliver1693]

Love how she’s worried about ‘our inheritance’ lol

[@joannedibben2352]

Sad that this lady's mum has probably given away all the kids inheritance

[@annaliseoliver1693]

@@joannedibben2352 you’re not automatically entitled to a hand out. It’s incredibly sad that an old lady lost all of her money that could pay to support her e.g. care for when she needs it. Think it’s a bit distasteful to mention ‘our inheritance’. Just my opinion :)

[@shanehull6235]

@@annaliseoliver1693totally agree, the poor lady tried killing herself and focus is still so you lost my money 😢 it’s sad how people feel entitled to things they haven’t earned

[@wilsonbuchanan1165]

That comment was definitely in bad taste

[@benfarmer-webb1016]

I actually believe she said "her inheritance" meaning that she's given away all the money that she was going to retire on. It's a bit of a clumsy choice of words

[@marcinski5201]

So the daughter blames the supermarket not herself for not taking care of her old mother? Now Tesco customers pay the bill

[@cgee6867]

I had a friend who worked at a store that sold gift cards. He was a manager of the store and he was alerted by the cashiers if any person was buying a lot of them. He would talk to the customer about the gift cards and diplomatically attempted to find out if the customer was being scammed. But he could not stop people from buying them.

[@RltchieI]

For me it’s the banks that should be asking why there are so many transactions of high denomination. If someone goes to different checkouts for each card the staff member isn’t going to know of the other purchases, the bank however should be able to flag these multiple high transactions in the one establishment. They would also be aware of the cash was being taken out daily at a cash point or over the counter. How any bank would not see this pattern of transactions as abnormal is beyond me. Edit: well done to Tesco for refunding £10k, it’s a shame the others didn’t make the same offer.

[@lamusica1592]

Good point

[@jackieadam4499]

Many years ago when banks each had a bank manager and lots more staff it would have been manually picked up and queried with the customer but they don’t have the staff now - it’s all computerised - so perhaps that is why this kind of thing can go unnoticed

[@user-sb5vc9nq1e]

100% sorry means nothing give the poor old lady some of the money back you supermarkets are as bad as the scammers for allowing these amounts. Well done to Tesco's.

[@marcinski5201]

Tesco customers paid for that. The daughter could monitor her mother's bank account on line.

[@AlbertEinsteinSpock]

Kind and considerate thoughts from Ritchie Blackmore. I've always said that he has high moral character. In his younger days, he did some childish pranks or was rude. But by and large, he is the type of guy you want around when the chips are down.

[@user-xf7kc8cp4x]

These types of scam have been around for years. Both members of the public and retailers need to be educated about gift card scams.

[@BDavis-VanVarderGroup]

I am 32 years old, and unfortunately, I fell for a scam just like this. The scammer managed to get hold of my cards through Steam. It's worth noting that most retailers now have a limit on the number of gift cards that you can purchase. The same limits are also being considered for online stores in the US and Australia. Fortunately, I was lucky enough not to lose my money, but it was a tense few weeks. Like the person in this story, I was able to get my legal team to investigate the location of the fraudsters. I really sympathize with this family, and I'm sorry that Val had to go through this horrendous experience.

[@GAMEZZ3322]

How???

[@donaldsinden934]

@@GAMEZZ3322 If you need it explaining, then I fear tou may need to watch out for these very obvious scams.

[@garryc1110]

Steam cards are gift cards that you buy, scammers can only get money from them if You give them the details I smell🐂💩

[@annas.5794]

Her bank should have detected this and investigated it.

[@marleyhill34]

I'm neurodivergent. I bank with Barclays and I'm on their vulnerable list. They wouldn't let me spend or withdraw that much in one day ever! I'd have to go into the bank with my ID same with my credit card. They'd ask me to verify by telephone call.

[@anthonymartyn5590]

I think the daughter was mad because she said given our inheritance away not given her money away, I feel sorry for the old lady its seems like everyone wanted to get her money, the bank should of noticed the money being spent in such large amounts.

[@joanne26]

I agree with you A very high % of banks would have spotted these high values going out of her bank Such large amounts from last year to the previous year say 🫤🫤🫤🥴🥴🥴😗😗😙😙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@gillpoynter2873]

It's funny that the banks don't flag this up If large sums of money ARRIVE in your bank account it flags up and the bank tell anyone who will listen ie DWP

[@Roxemari1]

@anthonymartyn5590 I agree with you, she was more worried about losing her inheritance than her poor Mum losing her money.

[@surjitsonik7976]

@surjitsonik7976 0 seconds ago I think it’s been misunderstood. The money was her 80 year old mum’s inheritance that was left for her by her parents

[@sensimania]

​@@surjitsonik7976 Yes you are correct, she did say "her inheritance" not "our inheritance".

[@melinmove]

The gift card scam has been around for decades. It's 'popular' in the USA more so than here.

[@Tpavra]

It always amazes me that people will just willingly send money for large amounts and not even think twice about it. Are people generally this irrisponsible?

[@cmk2278]

Because sometimes they care about the people. Sometimes they want to help. Let me say this the scammers play on the heart of people

[@Tpavra]

@@cmk2278 I get that, but we are not talking about 20 or even 100 quid... were talking 6 figure amounts....

[@this_time_imperfect]

If Apple and Google cared, they could mitigate this problem for good.

[@Db-lm1qn]

This has become ridiculous. Govt. needs to run ads to help people recognise these scammers especially for elderly.

[@marleyhill34]

I work for a supermarket. Most of the staff are too overworked, undertrained and underpaid to care. I do flag these up with my manager but most of the time, management just let's them go through. When profit at all cost is your bottom line this is what happens to society. I bank with Barclays and they wouldn't dare let me spend that much in one day in multiple locations! They would run a block on my card and I'd have to go in to explain myself in person with ID in an interview with their fraud team!

[@user-et6xp9px9h]

Poor poor lady. The sad thing nowadays is nobody looks at for one another. The supermarkets should be ashamed of themselves.

[@kirstie7187]

Exactly her kids are blind

[@rgoonewardene380]

People should look out for themselves. I don’t want my supermarket telling me what I can or cannot buy.

[@lexm17]

@@rgoonewardene380that’s you but it doesn’t help the vulnerable people who can easily fall for scams. Supermarket have a duty to protect customers

[@marleyhill34]

This happened because of the rot in our society. Nobody cares anymore. We haven't got time to spend with our families anymore to check up on them. We dont get paid enough or trained enough to care.

[@scruffyo4460]

Supermarket checkout cashiers are NOT the police. Stop blaming them.

[@peeg09]

I work in Iceland & have to genuinely say that most people only buy 1 card. It's mainly boys with parents buying XBox, Google or Playstation.

[@alexajones2331]

This is heartbreaking thank you from Ireland 🇮🇪 for bringing awareness to this Iv never heard of this before

[@supermodelatlanta1354]

Not to be insensitive but the supermarket can't stop who she buys cards for. What if it was a purchase for her grandchildren at UWI

[@bluepeter128]

Wow!!! People living on our street, has go that sort of money in the bank!!!!!

[@marleyhill34]

It's usually life savings....for most people.

[@bluepeter128]

@@marleyhill34 this is true. So why do they gamble with it??

[@marleyhill34]

@@bluepeter128 You ever tried to argue with a person over 60? They don't listen to anyone until the police and relevant authorities have to step in. My dad age 77 this year had to be brought home by the police after midnight despite us telling him for years to not stay out late with his night blindness and penchant for alcohol. when she said her and her brother and her son had to march her mom into the bank to set up restrictions so this never happened again....yup I could see the battle and the mother was so distressed she tried to unalive the next day...they don't want to give up their independence. My parents are too paranoid currently but it gets worst if they become paranoid about their own children. One friend has his mother-in-law call the cops on him nearly every day.

[@aminahreviewsstuff]

Its not the stores fault

[@petahmcdee6869]

Yes. My mum was scammed out if $30,000. Amazon scam - in Australia.

[@endlessglizzys_.0233]

What do they say to get you to send the codes?

[@katherinenarborough2662]

For me when I was scammed it was not telling supermarket staff who the money was for and to go to different tills. The scammers were in regular contact through my mobile asking how things were going. They were very sympathetic and everything. I gave them the codes via my laptop webcam because they had control of my machine which I'd stupidly allowed them access to then. The moral of the story is if Amazon India phones you which they don't and a robot-type voice says you are to be charged £79 for a year membership which if you didn't make press this number (1) don't even if you've just finished their one-month Prime Membership and cancelled then or else thief's will end of taking a considerable amount of your money me £450 through Google Play gift cards and Western Union bank transfer. I was lucky two gift cards hadn't been used and so claimed them on my own account but in hindsight never should've bought them originally. Action Fraud only took note of the scam and my bank didn't refund me because I was deemed negligent. After all, I knew what was happening and had not stopped it along the way.

[@MCee97]

What happened?

[@Francis-xl2gu]

Moral of the story, get off Facebook etc

[@barbarabos9625]

Why?, Just don't give money. Tell them to come and ask in person.

[@crbarnes001]

My mum is 80 shed tell them to get stuffed, she wasn't joining yesterday. How do you just hand over £115,000 to a total stranger.

[@soniamoloney6206]

Did u listen to the interview this person trick the mom into to thinking it was an old friend.

[@jennifermuscutt7277]

Why does all of her money automatically become her child’s inheritance. She’s only 80 years old and doesn’t have to leave her kids anything.

[@lindseylee8572]

That’s not the point a lot of older people are being targeted by scammers who are pretending to be helping them when in fact they are helping themselves to the entire contents of their bank accounts

[@surjitsonik7976]

I think it’s been misunderstood. The money was her 80 year old mum’s inheritance that was left for her by her parents

[@GAMEZZ3322]

To be fair I dont understand how people fall for it

[@jamesring5680]

Sad they target older people and vulnerable with Alzheimer's disgusting

[@King-Arthur-The-First]

Thank you to the family for coming forward to highlight the problem which may show others & hopefully preventing further scams. If I was a family member, I would blame myself Because ultimately we are responsible for vulnerable family members.

[@graceperry2623]

This sort of scam has been around a long time, and is absolutely rife in the US.

[@kirstie7187]

Exactly I know this

[@KT-no8ll]

Why would you give anyone £115k, even if it was a genuine friend and not a fraud, that’s an insane amount of money to knowingly give away. Why was she giving away so much?

[@margtaylor]

Gift card scams huge in USA

[@user-qy9rt9cy2b]

Poor lady I do feel for her even though I have said why send money too a stranger

[@eileenboles8645]

U should try LISTENING! She was made believe that it was an acquaintance who happened to b famous & her being elderly with poss. dementia she fell for it. FFS!

[@user-qy9rt9cy2b]

@@eileenboles8645don’t need your advice

[@KT-no8ll]

@@eileenboles8645Even if it was your best mate, why would you send them £115k without even speaking on the phone. Madness

[@user-qy9rt9cy2b]

@@eileenboles8645don’t need your advice

[@pamelamls]

@eileen - She was lying to her family telling them the money was to help a school friend.

[@idiaakanbi3713]

It hurts so much that someone would do that to such an old lady😢

[@donna25871]

Easy marks because they don’t stop and think for a moment. Older people are naive to this so it makes them gullible and easy targets.

[@bernadettekelly8165]

They don't care if you live on the streets ! They will take your last penny .....

[@pamelamls]

I had never heard of a person this old getting scammed, 80 years old. And acting erratic, being suicidal after she got caught..

[@shanehull6235]

Gift cards are terrible things, only a good idea if you’re apple or Google Why would anyone ever want to swap some actual money, that can be spent anywhere at anytime. For a dumb gift card with a time limit that can only be used at specific locations Gift cards are a scam in themselves

[@suzyq5522]

How are they actually converted to hard cash though. Surely they can only be spent in the relevant stores! I don’t get how they are making millions! Buying the goods then selling them on? Selling cards at discounted prices. I don’t think scammers come out with anything like the original amount spent.!! Would love to hear this explained properly!

[@aishas2497]

The scammers use online websites to convert the cards I.e. £100 card would leave them with £80 profit because the website require 20% commission. There are alot of channels on KZbin that try to educate people on how to avoid being scammed because of it.

[@barbarabos9625]

If you watch the video, you have heard she gave him the codes of the cards. That's all he needed.

[@hannagibson9970]

Yes suzyq522, I believe they sell the gift cards on the black market for good ol hard cash (in a lot of cases)...Obviously they mark them down, so they will sell a £500 gift card for £400 or something... But it is weird that they cannot trace the codes and block those gift cards at least... I am no expert, but I do know that is one way they use the gift cards...must be profitable because it's a scam that seems to be used a lot!

[@rgoonewardene380]

The codes are usually sold for crypto currency. I have also heard that scammers can sell the codes for more than the balance to people who are trying to launder money.

[@hannagibson9970]

@@rgoonewardene380 that makes sense.. knew cryto would be involved somewhere!

[@pinky-ud1rt]

I NEVER SEND MONEY..PRIOD!!!!that poor poor woman. The bank should of checked

[@wurstsalatohnegurke]

It’s always everyone else’s fault

[@donaldsinden934]

So true, we live in a world where nobody is responsible for their own actions.

[@xin0]

This happened in the US, I knew it will transfer and happen here in UK

[@donna25871]

Make your FB page private so only friends can see it. And take off personal information so it can’t be used against you.

[@Clara-ph7my]

There should be a limit spending on gift cards definitely. Like Gambling Awareness. I knew the scammers often, use gift cards for transactions. In the case of this lady though, the amounts spent are lubricous. How did the bank not notice the pattern?

[@debbietaylor1173]

Lot of this happens in America they ring you up and say you've won money or a prize and do you want gift cards and they make you go buy gift and then they get you to give them the codes and you get nothing

[@AlbertEinsteinSpock]

Yes, indeed, and all over the world, I suspect. I received a phone call purportedly from my bank one night. I hung up. I later reached out to the bank and, sure enough, it was bogus. So, never respond right away when someone reaches out. If possible, contact the bank or whatever yourself. When it doubt, get help or research it thoroughly. Of course, these predators often prey on the elderly, who are the most vulnerable.

[@beckscald3855]

Jim browning and similar people like payback scammer are fighting these scammers. They have several vidoes explaining scams and trying to shut down scammers operations.

[@fern1416]

There's not a daily limit at the cashline. You can take £250 per transaction then do it again. At the same cashline

[@henryjohnfacey8213]

Should have adviser's at the supermarket check outs.

[@reggiekray723]

There it is at 6:43!! 'My mum was scammed out of our inheritance '. 'Our lives were going to be very different after this'. I met Ritchie Blackmore once, he's not short of cash love. Your mum was a lonely old woman who wanted some attention. Don't blame the retailers for selling her the cards

[@Challenger2A7]

Unlike some commenters on here, I do not blame the daughter for being concerned. I would certainly be very concerned if my elderly mother was sending money to a total stranger. Romance scams are becoming very common, but there's only one rule to remember: do not send money in any way, shape or form. Unfortunately people often have a lethal combination of vanity, gullibility and delusion, even if they do not have dementia.

[@CH-od8ni]

I cannot spend more than x number a month - it’s a security thing banks offer to put in so that this doesn’t happen.

[@markellis4229]

Wow mum was giving away are inheritance

[@surjitsonik7976]

@surjitsonik7976 0 seconds ago I think it’s been misunderstood. The money was her 80 year old mum’s inheritance that was left for her by her parents

[@donaldsinden934]

@@surjitsonik7976 And where would that money go to in the end?... we all know what she meant.

[@markellis4229]

@@donaldsinden934 Exactly

[@clivebaxter6354]

The first thing she's ever heard of this scam, where has she been hiding?

[@chrisgironde6669]

There’s tons of KZbin videos about people toying with the scammers, usually based in India or Nigeria who ask you to buy these gift cards and give them the codes

[@darkclouds5261]

Meanwhile Andi is promoting gambling

[@soniamoloney6206]

That's on bank should of stopped them and clearly it was a scam.

[@John.Spandli]

I've seen people spending 100s on these cards - the companies have a duty to protect and should give this lady all her money back. There should be a questionnaire to fill out. Gift cards are a scammers dream

[@rgoonewardene380]

So, if I go to my local Tesco and try to buy 10 bottles of whiskey, should they refuse to sell them to me because “no one needs that much whiskey”?

[@John.Spandli]

@@rgoonewardene380 it's the other way around. People buying cards...not using them. Billions worth of fraud. They have a duty to stop vulnerable people especially getting scammed.

[@user-js3po6mf8o]

If someone has no education or IQ to find out that this is scam why retailers fault is that? It's like if you jump to water when you cannot swim and if you drown it is waters fault or yours?

[@Unity43]

What about her bank? Surely they would have picked up on her spending huge amounts in a supermarket in one day. My bank freezes my card if i go over 100 shopping on Amazon....which I'm grateful for....really feel for Valerie...

[@shanadelahaye1213]

I'm surprised they haven't heard of this scam before. Is she worried about the inheritance or her mom?

[@marymutyaba6322]

Has it been confirmed that she has Alzheimers? What does she get out of sending all that money.

[@bernadettekelly8165]

Playing God 😮😮😮

[@susanb.1113]

Why is she vulnerable? Just because if her age? Did she use self service/pay cash/not use a loyalty card, so pretty much untrackable? Why is everything bad someone else's fault?

[@taravogt-skard5003]

Did you not watch the video before commenting? She has Alzheimer’s which definitely makes her vulnerable

[@kirstie7187]

@@taravogt-skard5003 so her family should have looked after her

[@kirstie7187]

Exactly blame everyone else

[@taravogt-skard5003]

@@kirstie7187 how were they meant to know what was going on if she wasn’t telling them?

[@kirstie7187]

@@taravogt-skard5003 they knew lol

[@michelle.goodridge]

Sadly her children should put a limit for their mom. Give her a pre paid card and when its done it’s done. Seniors do not require a lot of money to live. Also have access to their bank account, get your name put on file. Do whatever you can especially when they have limited mental capacity.

[@olivierbeltrami]

Even under “legal” circumstances, gift cards are a scam. You are lending the card issuer your money, interest-free, and in many cases these cards will expire after a year. Not to mention the percentage of these cards that are lost. A total scam.

[@user-fc2ii1tt2o]

So sad that poor lady .These companies have to take responsibility for this happening .However , I’m amazed that the daughter talked about the money as being her inheritance !

[@surjitsonik7976]

@surjitsonik7976 0 seconds ago I think it’s been misunderstood. The money was her 80 year old mum’s inheritance that was left for her by her parents

[@BESTOFTHEBEST123]

My mum is also 80 she will never give that much to a stranger

[@dragonlover2085]

Young people also fall for these scams. Not a question of age.

[@ravinderkaur-ol6iz]

I have been scammed £1,000 worth of apple gift cards I thought it was my friend but it wasn’t I phoned the police, Apple Store and the bank at the end i didn’t get my money back

[@Galaxybutterfly88]

The scammers are getting 80 cents on the dollar at the most for all of that

[@NicoleJBaldwin]

Surely the shops have enough money for compensate her for her loss

[@sleepwalker6825]

What a bunch of .... You got on the TV lol My Inheritance Jesus ...

[@user-rb1ps8yy1b]

Yep and u call them out ur called paranoid

[@lamusica1592]

So can the purchase not be traced at all? Location, cctv? That seems odd

[@melinmove]

The guy is in China sitting behind a computer, all he needs is the code and he has the money. You won't catch him CCTV as he doesn't even have to leave the house.

[@robertamcmunn3642]

It could be but because it is the same as cash, they cannot do anything about it. They can place an order using the code and then pick up the goods without giving phone number or address. All they would have is the info of the person who bought the cards in the first place, which is the victim.

[@melinmove]

@@robertamcmunn3642 Half the time they're not even buying goods with the cards, they sell them on the dark web at a discounted price to the original value.

[@lamusica1592]

@@robertamcmunn3642 thanks, yes and I guess even if they had cctv of the collection, someone else could collect it. Clever. The supermarkets must do better

[@katherinenarborough2662]

Gift card codes cannot be traced at all because they're like legal tenders then. Money can be traced to the store where they were bought whether that be online or in person but unless till owners are clued up and suspect anything not selling people those types of cards with multiple transactions then individuals are none the wiser including younger ones as well as older folks. Plus gift cards bought as birthday presents for friends not flagged up by the store a an alright excuse to buy multiple cards of course.

[@shanehull6235]

Say all these vouchers were Google so then made 115k for what Taking 115k in actual money and giving back store credit Why can people not see gift cards for what they are a giant scam

[@beckscald3855]

Gift card scams is one of the most common scams. Be careful. No company would ask you to buy multiple gift cards as payment. They'd produce a payment plan.

[@williams5985]

The gift card providers should have a registration system that you need to verify your identity on and each purchase code or pin is identifiable to that purchaser. The recipient the same verification linked only to a bank account that's theirs. Then they should have a flagging system or something to identity suspicious significant purchases. Or better still they can only be used in the country they are purchased in. obviously i accept the Internet would be the issue. Something needs to be done against these low lifes. I hope she makes a full recovery physically and mentally as she's done nothing wrong.

[@iiTzPredatorHD]

I buy gift cards at Morrisons for my Xbox & other stuff, I don't even use the person tills, it works at self scan (Staff taught me to put a chocolate bar on the scales when it says put item on there) 😅

[@janebeattie9071]

Please no, if anyone asks for large amounts of money and all you know is their profile and messages, don't do it! First response, sorry I can't help financially. See where it goes from there. X

[@Challenger2A7]

You're absolutely right, but vanity and wilful delusion does the damage. Watching all the Romance Scam stories from America, maybe you've watched them yourself, the "victims" always keep it secret from family and friends, and if the family and friends do find out and tell them it's a Scam, then they are simply shut out. It's usually an older plain person, male or female, who thinks some gorgeous 25 year old is madly in love with them. Er, No.

[@matthewnicholas6365]

Sorry, but the semi retired staff on the till in your local Asda is probably as likely to be a victim of these scams as anyone

[@tindrums]

There is a market of gift cards (based in China).. you sell to them. They in turn sell to smugglers who buy stuff from USA to ship to China.

[@wilsonbuchanan1165]

I wonder if she actually went to school with Ritchie Blackmore?

[@samuelcraig]

It's not unique. Not sure why they said that. It's been happening for years where they ask you to buy a gift card for them then hack your phone/bank

[@barbarabos9625]

@user-xq2tl1wv2h they ask for the code on the giftcard. And add it to their account on google or apple.

[@giftedchild9490]

They wont give their kids and family so thieves come for thw money....

[@alicelaw1423]

This is so sad, shameful on the staff and also, why would the bank not flag this if these gift cards were bought with a debit card?

[@endlessglizzys_.0233]

What do they say to get you to send the codes?

[@beckscald3855]

Jim browning and other US people who are fighting scammers do a great job of explaining the scam. One guy is called scammer payback.

[@eileenboles8645]

She believed she knew who she was talking to. Try listening.

[@endlessglizzys_.0233]

@@eileenboles8645 lol 😆 calm down, just asking

[@eileenboles8645]

@@endlessglizzys_.0233 I ca see how it would b funny especially if it happened to u!

[@abbig9]

They’ll say they need money for food, internet, phones etc but will ask for it in gift cards. Because they’ve built up a relationship the person being scammed will do it and not really question it.

[@kiiikaaaaaaaaaa7099]

She looks really good for 80 she looks 60

[@peterwickett9088]

Feel sorry for the daughter looks worn out 😞

[@MalonsMilk]

She gave away our inheritance money. Sigh. Don’t you mean she gave away HER life savings. So sad that if it wasn’t a stranger who wanted her money it was her own daughter.

[@Cazzie4ever]

I think she actually said that she gave away "her" (not our) inheritance, like it was all the money her father had left to her mother.

[@donaldsinden934]

@@Cazzie4ever It would still end up with the daughter though, we all know what she meant.

[@marioncampbell2156]

Scamming will never stop while there are idiots sending them money/gift cards. I can't get my head round why someone would send anything to people they don't know.

[@miremare9052]

If her mum was her "best friend" at what point does Debbie realize that her mum is clearly in no position to make sensible choices. A family intervention was probably long overdue and agreements should have made to take control of certain aspects of the parents lives (power of attorney) I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when it all kicked off and Big D confronted her mum regarding her missing her inheritance! No Richie, her mum is not going to get better and no she is not getting the money back.

[@vinnyvincent2862]

STRANGER DANGER ! 😮

[@lasso248]

typical... blame the supermarket workers like they don't have enough to do. We can't police how people spend their money😂. Have you ever worked in a supermarket with the public? I can't stand the blonde presenter she's so up herself. You go into a supermarket and see how you fair telling people what to do. The POLICE SHOULD BE STEPPING UP.

[@milnergw]

Andi Peters constantly interrupts.

[@Hehj]

I don't really have any sympathy here. This isn't a case of a vulnerable person being tricked by a legitimate looking email or letter purporting to be from a bank or big business and processing what they thought was a refund or payment. Instead, she was lured in by a ridiculous premise and then acted secretively over a sustained period to keep siphoning vouchers off to a supposed old school friend (who happened to be relatively famous). The fact that she went around numerous supermarkets day after day and didn't mention anything to her husband or children is a clear red flag that she wasn't acting in an entirely honest manner herself. Of all the cases of people being scammed in the UK that This Morning could've used to highlight this issue, this really wasn't the one to use as most people (yes, even 80 year olds) wouldn't have fallen for this.

[@nazarenkodenys]

Calling Ritchie Blackmore "relatively famous" is insane. Read wikipedia.

[@katherinenarborough2662]

That's what my friend said when it happened to me. I only had myself to blame partly because I hadn't twigged early on what was happening and put the phone down. He was annoyed it happened to me though all the same.

[@melinmove]

She had memory problems though

[@taravogt-skard5003]

On what planet is an 80 year old woman with Alzheimer’s not vulnerable?

[@annepollock8306]

With Altzeimers? Give it a rest!

[@Holismleith]

She’s Bidens age.

[@hencakk]

At the risk of sounding harsh, if you have a friend or relative who can't spot instantly what is most likely a scam, it's time to get power of attorney over them as they're just waiting to have their pockets picked.

[@dupasraja9885]

Kitboga

[@raysah]

Scambaiters

[@staffiemama]

I just don't like Andrew Peters.