Staffordshire couple lose house savings in email scam

The couple had saved nearly £4,200 towards their new shared ownership property

A couple have lost their savings in an email scam just as they were about to buy a house.

Care home worker Deanne Lee, 47, and fiancé Richard Bell, 49, both of Tamworth, had saved nearly £4,200 and were about to pay the deposit on their new shared ownership home in Nuneaton.

But Ms Lee inadvertently sent the money to scammers after they contacted her from an email address similar to the couple's real solicitors.

Action Fraud has been informed.

Ms Lee said she believed scammers "intercepted" correspondence between her lawyers from firm Abacus Solicitors in order to put together the "very convincing" email requesting she send over the cash.

"We eventually realised the only difference was a hyphen rather than a full stop in one part of the email address," she said.

"It had the logo of the solicitors' firm, a breakdown of costs, what they were for and dates, so there was nothing to trigger any red flags."

Ms Lee said the email she received was very convincing

"When I found out I'd lost the money, I just sobbed and sobbed," she said. "My whole world collapsed, it was devastating."

A family member has gifted the money to the couple in lieu of it being returned.

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The proceeds of a donation page set up for the couple, which raised more than £1,000, will either be donated to charity or donors refunded, Ms Lee said.

Abacus Solicitors described what had happened as a clever, sophisticated and distressing scam.