Scammers 'emptied' charity's accounts

Angela Dixon says she can sleep again now the bank has agreed to refund the money

A scam-hit charity was left facing closure after fraudsters stole about £45,000 from its accounts.

Those running Cumbria's Millom Network Centre (MNC) were left "unable to sleep" for weeks after CEO Angela Dixon fell victim to overseas scammers.

After being contacted by the BBC, the Co-operative Bank agreed to refund the money, meaning the charity - which helps people struggling in the area - can continue its work and pay overdue bills.

Mrs Dixon has warned others to be on their guard, adding: "They are so clever, they were taking over the accounts as they were talking to me."

MNC runs a range of social groups, delivers meals on wheels and operates a charity shop.

On 1 May, an unsuspecting member of staff told Mrs Dixon the bank had tried to call and wanted her to phone them back.

Posing as a bank representative, the person who answered her return call was "convincing" and "persuasive" when telling Mrs Dixon there was an issue with the charity's accounts.

On their instruction she handed over the details they needed to access them, but by the time the call had ended, the accounts were empty.

'Absolutely horrific'

The theft was noticed and reported soon afterwards, but had a huge impact on all involved in the charity.

The local community rallied around and donated more than £1,000 to help, but the bank had frozen the accounts while it carried out investigations and no payments could be made.

Bills subsequently went unpaid and with a significant wage bill on the horizon and no way to pay it, Mrs Dixon thought the charity would have to close its doors.

"It has been absolutely horrific," she said.

"To do this to a charity is heartless, it has taken us three years to get on our feet and they wiped it all out in less than 24 hours."

Issuing a warning to others, Mrs Dixon said: "I'm very bothered about this potentially happening to someone else.

"Do not trust anybody who phones you with your bank details."

After being contacted by the BBC, a spokeswoman for the Co-operative Bank said it would refund the money and compensate the charity for the length of time it has taken to investigate the issue.

She said: "We are extremely sorry that the Millom Network Centre fell victim to fraudulent activity and sympathise with the distress and inconvenience caused.

"We want to reassure our customers that we have robust security controls in place to protect them from fraud and to remind them to never share key account or security information with anyone."

Mrs Dixon welcomed the refund and said it meant she could sleep again at night and could afford to pay the charity's nine staff members.

How to prevent fraud

The Co-operative Bank's advice on preventing fraud includes:

• Never share one-time passcodes, passwords or security codes, even with someone who claims to be a bank employee

• Never agree to authorise a transaction you have not made yourself in online banking

• Always read warnings from the bank

• Do not download software or apps to allow people to remotely access your device

• Do not trust phone caller displays as they can be manipulated by fraudsters