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Woman issues warning about text scam that stole ‘every penny’ she had
Make sure you don’t fall for this
After a young woman was conned by a text scam that saw her lose ‘every penny’ she had, she took to social media to warn others.
Student and actor Emmeline Hartley went viral after sharing her experience, with others saying something similar had happened to them.
Emmeline received a text from some scammers pretending to be Royal Mail, which kicked off a chain of events that led the con artist’s to call her and pretend to be from Barclays, her bank.
She took to Twitter to warn others: “I mentioned yesterday that I’d been scammed out of every penny I had. Thought I’d post what happened in case it helps anyone avoid being in the same position.
“Please save the lectures, I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel any stupider”.
It all began when she received a text claiming to be Royal Mail saying they needed an additional £2.99 payment in order for her parcel to be delivered, and as her birthday was coming up she believed it was genuine.
To be sure it was legitimate, she even checked Royal Mail’s website, and decided it was safe to enter her bank details.
This is when things took a turn, and someone claiming to be from her back, Barclays, contacted Emmeline to say somebody had tried to set up direct debits from her account at Vodafone and Currys/PC World, as well as an attempt to spend £300 at Argos.
Emmeline added: “The next bit is going to sound stupid, but I was so embarrassed by my stupidity of falling for the Royal Mail scam, shocked and scared that somebody had been trying to use my card.”
She went on to explain that, because the man on the phone knew so many details about her, she believed it was actually her bank, and transferred all the money she had into a new ‘safe account’.
The scammer told Emmeline that because she’d used her bank details in the Royal Mail scam that her account was compromised, and that she needed to transfer her money out to protect it, while she waited for a new card.
To highlight how sophisticated the scam actually is, Emmeline checked the number she was being called from and it showed up as the same number as the Barclays fraud team.
It was only after the scammers told her to clear her overdraft that she began to realise something was off, as she didn’t actually have one on her account.
She said: “Despite knowing deep down that something wasn’t right, I tried to transfer the sum of money he told me to transfer. It didn’t work, confirming what I guess I already knew. I broke down in tears and he hung up.”
Cristiano Betta / Flickr
After calling the real Barclays, they explained that the scam she’d been tricked by is quite common at the moment.
She added: “After several hours [on the phone to my actual bank], they’d cancelled my cards, issued new ones and launched an investigation into my fraud claim. They said that this a very common scam known as the ‘safe account scam’.”
A spokesperson for Barclays told Cosmopolitan UK: “Following an investigation of this case, it is evident that our customer has been the unfortunate victim of a very sophisticated scam. We have provided the customer with a full refund of the amount that was lost.
“Fraudsters try to appear as legitimate as possible, so it’s important to be vigilant and stay alert to anything suspicious.
“No genuine bank would message you to transfer money to a ‘safe account’ – we advise any customers to ignore anyone who asks to do this, whether it’s by phone, email or any other method.”
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P!NK ‘in love with Manchester’ after celebrating daughter’s birthday in the city
‘Manchester – I am so in love with you’
Pop star P!NK has said she is ‘in love with Manchester’ after she celebrated her daughter’s birthday in the city.
The singer-songwriter has been enjoying some time out with her children and entourage while on tour in Bolton this week.
The 43-year-old has chosen Greater Manchester to kick-off her Summer Carnival World Tour at the University of Bolton Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday, June 7th and 8th.
P!NK, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore Hart, was put to the test at Trafford Park’s Total Ninja attraction, which hosted a party for 12-year-old Willow.
She shared a video showing the youngster tackling the obstacles at the ninja park with her brother Jameson and Pink’s entourage.
Enjoying the fun, it’s clear the popular-American singer has a soft spot for Manchester as she gets set for her upcoming concerts starting tomorrow evening where she’ll be joined by special guests The Script, GAYLE and KidCutUp.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “So happy to be back on tour with my babies, the ones I birthed but also the rest of these clowns.
“If I had to choose another profession- it would be so many things. One of those would be party planner. We party.
“Manchester- I am so in love with you. Willow- you are my soul child. Happy 12th. Hard to believe you’re only 12. You rock. Love, your favourite Mama.”
Thousands of followers liked and commented on the post to express how excited they were that she is in Manchester and wished Willow a happy birthday.
One fan typed: “How very exciting that you’re in Manchester now. Can not wait to see you in your opening show for the new tour. I am so excited!!!! Bring on Bolton.”
Another commented: “She looks more like you all the time! Happy Birthday, Willow!!”
A third added: “What a great party, lovely to see an age appropriate fun kids party. Good for you Willow, enjoy being 12.”
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Chris Martin spotted catching train from Manchester to Cardiff
‘The day is always better when Chris Martin says hi’
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin shocked fans as he was seen catching the train from Manchester to Cardiff Central for the band’s next sell-out gigs.
The chart-toppers, who recently wowed audiences at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, have two more performances in the Welsh capital as part of their Music of the Spheres tour.
Over the weekend the band played for thousands of fans in Manchester, dazzling them with a spectacular display of colours and confetti during the concert.
Crowds were also delighted to see local artist Aitch perform live as a support act.
Coldplay, one of the most environmentally friendly major touring bands in the world, are set to perform live at the Principality Stadium this week — a venue where huge names are usually chauffeur-driven or flown in by helicopter.
On Monday (June 5th), Chris took the train to Cardiff wearing a grey T-shirt, tracksuit bottoms and a baseball cap as he mingled with other passengers.
Once he arrived in the Welsh city, eco-conscious Chris clocked a member of staff filming him after noticing the star amongst the crowds, as Chris went over to say ‘hello’ the man replied: “Thanks, Chris. Wow.”
The video clip was posted on Twitter, with the caption: “The day is always better when Chris Martin says hi.” Fans quickly took to social media to express their appreciation of Chris for taking the train.
One said in approval: “That’s such class…catching the train to your own gig. Love it!!” Another tweeted: “This is so precious.” And a third simply added: “The best.”
The band, who are keen to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint, will be taking to the stage at the Principality Stadium on Tuesday, June 6th and Wednesday, June 7th, as they perform their songs in front of thousands of music fans in the city.
They will be joined by two support acts, including a local artist, who will both play before Coldplay take the stage to play their set. Gates will open at 5pm both days.
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The hunt for the UK’s messiest car is on with a £200 prize for the winner
I’m lost for words at some of these!
Drivers across the country have been sharing pictures of their messy car interiors to win a competition.
The shameless and grubby lot have been submitting their entries for a chance to win a £200 Amazon voucher. It is part of a nationwide search to find the UK’s messiest car owner by vehicle service provider, ATS Euromaster.
Photographs show dirty seats, footwells piled with litter, boxes, empty packets of food and drinks, and used face masks — you might want to don some clean PPE to look at these!
Here is a selection of the best entries so far, but the competition remains open until June 11th.
Mel Crumpton, 57, from Benfleet shared this chaotic photo of litter overflowing from the passenger footwell in her Ford Fiesta.
Mel might need more than a few bin bags to clear this mess.
Rachel Hughes, 38, from Malmesbury submitted this photo of dirt and rubbish covering the back of her BMW 320D.
The poor passengers will be wishing they took the bus instead.
Satvinder Billa, 42, from Leicester shared how the front passenger area has a second purpose in this Honda Jazz.
I’ve seen tidier looking dustbins to be honest.
Helena Sperring, 30, from Shropshire revealed she likes to use her Peugeot 107 as extra storage.
Maybe she just doesn’t have room for it anywhere else?
Alison Wilkie, 56, from Harleston also uses the footwell in her Toyota Yaris as a rubbish bin.
Face masks and rubber gloves! Well, at least this mess is contained to just one footwell.
If you have a pigsty of a car, and would like to win £200 in Amazon vouchers, you can can enter the competition by clicking here.
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