Dirty Rotten Scammers

Sally received a large inheritance from her father and thought the best place for it was a property investment. But when her solicitors instructed her to transfer the money for her deposit, little did Sally know that their email account had been hacked. As she sent ID documents and more to the solicitors, she is now worried that the scammers might not just profit from her money but also her data. Michelle and Mavis are on the case to reassure Sally that this is the last scam she'll be caught up in.

When Cariad received a call about suspicious activity on her account, she was nervous it was a scam so called her bank. While she was on hold, she was called by what she thought was also her bank, so took the call. The fraud team that called her was nothing of the sort, and she lost out to the tune of £7,000. Distraught at the financial loss, Cariad wants a complete online overhaul to feel safe moving forward, and ethical hackers are just the people to provide that - with a little help from Mavis and Michelle.

Also in the episode, DCI Marc Cananur talks us through Kent Police's prosecution of a disgruntled employee turned cyber hacker.

Robyn and her boyfriend had a deposit saved for a house. As they prepared to complete, their financial advisor requested some money from their deposit, but the advisor's emails had been hacked, and Robyn and her partner found themselves £10,000 worse off. Robyn has exhausted all avenues in terms of getting her money back, and as she prepares to buy a house all over again, she wants to know that her every transaction is safe from any potential scams.

Adris received a call in the middle of the night from his bank, flagging suspect activity on his account. He was told he would be sent a code to protect his account – in reality, this code was to validate a transfer to another online account, for £1,000. He is now concerned that his online behaviour may have been the reason he was targeted and wants to tighten his security.

Also in the show, Maureen from Greater Manchester Police's ‘Scambusters' team reaches out to community members exposed to scams.

After tough shifts on a Covid ward, nurse Melissa received a call telling her that her savings were under threat. Exhausted from her work, she went along with everything the scammers said. But when she realized what had happened, it was too late – she had lost a five-figure sum. The team of ethical hackers discover that she is still potentially exposed online, and there's work to be done to make sure she never gets scammed again.

The team also hear the story of ransomware scammer Zain Qaiser, who was part of an international hacking ring that was fleecing people for huge figures. And after being ripped off for £2,000, Natasha is worried that she has been added to a suckers list and wants to know what she can do to stop being contacted by scammers who want to get their hands on her cash.

Tom runs a business selling beauty products online and noticed a significant shortfall in his accounts not long after he had clicked on a link he believed to be from an online auction site. Over three months, in incremental amounts, scammers had taken £14,000 from Tom's accounts. Having failed to recover the money, Tom wants to be sure there's nothing else that might leave him exposed to future online scams and hacks.

Caroline transferred almost £1,000 to what she believed was the Lloyds Fraud Team safe account, but quickly realized she had been scammed. The team of ethical hackers investigate why she may have been targeted and how she can avoid being caught out again.

Millie got a text from her phone company asking to tweak payment details on her account, and with the pandemic affecting her business, she responded quickly so as not to lose out on any income. Then she got a call, and scammers were able to persuade her to take out a £10k loan and overdraft by using her security information. They also emptied her business account. Now Millie is convinced that she has been added to a suckers list and wants Michelle and Mavis's help to get the scammers off her case.

Zara's emails were hacked just as she was expecting a large payment from her solicitors as a result of the sale of her father's home. After scammers accessed her emails, they intercepted messages from her solicitor and got the inheritance money sent to their account rather than hers. Having lost more than £40,000, Zara needs Michelle and Mavis to make sure she's secure online.

Also in the episode, the National Crime Agency talk us through their operation to bring down a website publishing people's data and raking in thousands in the process.

Christine was alerted to unusual activity on her social media account by a friend, but by then three of her contacts had lost out to the tune of £300 each. Now Christine wants answers as to how her account was exposed. Michelle and Mavis are on the case alongside the team of ethical hackers.

Kaz got in touch after a scammer targeted her bitcoin account and extracted the profits she had made on her investments, but what the hackers turn up reveals that Kaz needs a major overhaul of her passwords to make sure all her accounts are safe.

Michelle meets linguist Dr Lis Carter to learn about the language tricks scammers used in Christine's case to extract maximum cash, and Lynn tells us how she went on her own ethical hacking mission to make sure she wouldn't be ripped off again.

When Phil responded to a scam text, he wasn't expecting to become embroiled in an investigation with the National Crime Agency, but after manipulative scammers convinced him to move large amounts of money through his account, he was fleeced for a five-figure sum.

Ruth also replied to a scam text about a parcel delivery fee, and after losing a small amount of money, she has been inundated with texts, calls and emails pestering her for more cash. Worried she's been added to a ‘suckers list' Ruth wants our ethical hackers help to find out what online information scammers are using to target her.

Michelle and Mavis speak with the real National Crime Agency to find out more about Phil's case, and tech expert and journalist Geoff White informs Michelle of some mistakes she might be making with her own passwords.

Having previously gone through the experience of someone trying to clone her bank cards, Sharon was alarmed when she received a call from an online marketplace fraud department and quickly got them off the phone. But the next day when a call came from her bank reporting suspicious activity, she responded quickly and transferred money to a safe account, only to discover she'd lost £2,000 and the whole thing was a scam.

Lynne was looking to invest her money in a reliable investment but found herself being pressured by fraudsters to add thousands of pounds she simply didn't have. After the criminals took over her laptop after she downloaded a piece of tech, Lynne is now panic stricken about just how much information they may have on her.

Also in the episode, we follow Sussex Police as they install call-blocking technology in a vulnerable victim's home, to keep scam calls at bay.

Opera singer Alexander had recently posted a package, so when he received a text about a parcel, he assumed all was exactly as he was expecting, and went ahead and paid the fees. But this decision led him to lose £8,000 to scammers, and he has been unable to recover his money via his bank. He knows he needs to boost his cybersecurity to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Rebecca, a lecturer at Cardiff University, says she felt ‘groomed' and ‘abused' by the scammers who took thousands from her. She feels that speaking to Michelle and Mavis is an attempt to move on and get closure.

Also in the episode, a profile of the ethical hackers who have been working hard to stop scammers in their tracks and help people learn more about how to stay safe online.

Erin was preparing to buy her first marital home with her partner, and with her deposit money saved and ready to go, it felt just a short step away. Then a call from what she was told was the Lloyds Fraud Team changed everything - after she moved thousands of pounds to a safe account that was nothing of the sort.

Also in the episode, we meet Jo, whose business page on Facebook was cloned by a cunning hacker. They used the cloned page to convince Jo's contacts to send them their bank details as part of a fake competition, and now Jo is worried it could happen again. The ethical hackers delve into both cases and come up with some significant revelations that will help keep Erin and Jo secure in the future.

Also featured are Reverend Steve, whose parish narrowly avoid a scam thanks to Miss Marple-like detective work from one of his congregation.

Michelle and Mavis hear from retired executive Elaine, who was fleeced out of £30,000 after she used online banking. Joan was also scammed when someone used her card on Deliveroo.

Paula was scammed out of £5,000 when a call from her bank's fraud team caught her off guard. Michelle and Mavis are on the case with a team of ethical hackers.

Michelle and Mavis hear how hackers accessed Nathan's email account and tweaked the details on an invoice so that the cash went straight to them.

Michelle and Mavis meet Theresa, who has lost a six-figure sum to cryptocurrency scammers and is worried about all the information she has given away in the process.

It's a family affair as CJ and Chris meet with the team to learn how they can stop their grandad being scammed. We compile the top things to look out for.