Jersey woman scammed of nearly £100,000 says getting it back was 'absolute torture'

A Jersey woman who was scammed out of more than £90,0000 says getting the money back has been "the most stressful period of my life".

Deirdre Bates was targeted in August 2023 by fraudsters over the phone who pretended to be from her bank enquiring about a large fashion purchase.

After 16 months, she has now been able to recover the money - but said it has been "the most stressful period of my life".

She adds: "I did have lots of sleepless nights, lots of tears were shed.

Deidre also emphasised how hard it has been to get that money back, saying: "They were making it so difficult for me ... it's been 16 months of absolute torture.

"I've spent hours researching, appointments, sending emails, listening to recordings ... it was relentless."

When someone has already lost money, Barry Faudemer, CEO of Baker Regulatory Services, said: "I think the level of service that's offered to victims of fraud and scams needs to improve.

"We've seen some worrying reports from the people we've had contact with that the levels of service have been very poor and there needs to be a speed of response.

"They need to get through to someone on the telephone. It's as simple as that."

He suggests that Jersey should follow the UK which has recently introduced a law ensuring banks must refund up to £85,000 to victims of fraud within five days.

Barry explains: "I think we need to follow suit - I can't see any good reason why we should be out of step with the UK with the legislation that they are invoking to protect consumers.

"In Jersey, we've seen a surge in 2024, where victims of all ages have fallen victim to push payment frauds - which is where fraudsters pretend to be the security of a bank department."

Deirdre now hopes that sharing her experience will prevent others from falling victim to scams.

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