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Privacy NoticeLoose Women star Denise Welch has revealed that a security call from her bank’s ‘fraud squad’ saw her lose thousands of pounds – and she is begging others not to repeat her mistake. The Loose Women star has opened up about being scammed when she picked up the phone, convinced she was talking to Barclays bank – but it was actually an imposter pretending to be them. Denise told her story on this morning’s Good Morning Britain today, where she revealed to hosts Ranvir Singh and Ed Balls her mistake and warned others in the hope it will stop them having to go through what she did.
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Denise – who recently stunned Loose Women viewers with a new hair look as part of a discussion about the challenges of hair thinning for older women – explained she received the initial call when she was busy. So, when she was told there was a security issue with her account, she panicked. “It was a few years ago and I was rehearsing a show – Calendar Girls: The Musical,” she explained. “We weren’t supposed to look at our phones or take personal phone calls. We all have a sneaky look. And there was Barclays. “I went out, took the phone call and they said, it’s the fraud squad. They said there was some fraudulent activity going on with your card, and we want to put a stop to it. And I had absolutely zero doubt that I was talking to the fraud department from my bank because it had come up under the headline of Barclays that I had put into my phone.”
Denise Welch too to the sofa to tell her story
(Image: Rex/Shutterstock)
Denise confessed that she was completely taken in by the man on the end of the phone, who called back several times as he dealt with her ‘issue’. “I was talking to this chap called Michael,” she explained. “I remember him, he was obviously very personable. And I went through, over a series of about four phone calls, all of the information you are duly expected to give. It was my full name, my date of birth, my address and postcode and my mother’s maiden name – again, didn’t hesitate because it said Barclays. “So over about four phone calls, Michael had become my best friend!” she added. “He said it was taking a long time to do this because this was a fraud that was potentially going to be bigger than they thought.” And it was at this point where Denise made her big error. “This is where anybody watching this will be shouting, ‘well, that’s on you. How stupid of you’,” she admitted. “They then said, on about the fifth phone call, ‘we’re going to have to ask for your four-digit pin.'”
Scams have been a subject for discussion on Denise’s show Loose Women on many occasions
(Image: ITV)
“Now, even I know that you don’t give your pin away, but because I was talking to the fraud department at Barclays, I did. And the next day, I mentioned this to my husband, who went absolutely spare,” she recalled. And Denise, who had £2000 taken from her account, had some strong words of advice for anyone who might be suspicious of a phone call. “In my opinion, do not give your information to anybody unless you can somehow be 100% sure,” she declared. “Ring them back. Anybody that’s calling you, even though you may have spoken to that person before.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnDenise WelchGood Morning BritainLoose Women
