Summary
A couple from Leicester lost £2,500 to scammers after buying fake flight tickets online. After an appeal to the Financial Ombudsman Service, their bank reimbursed the full amount. The fraud involved a fake website, and the scammers used WhatsApp to collect money.
Key Facts
- Dinesh and Shashikala Jansari, aged 80 and 78, planned a trip to India but bought fake tickets.
- They discovered the scam at Heathrow Airport during check-in.
- Initially, Santander bank said it couldn't refund their money.
- The couple appealed to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which led to their money being reimbursed.
- The scam involved a fake travel website and communication via WhatsApp.
- The couple eventually booked a legitimate trip through a travel agent.
- Santander reported seeing over £74,000 in travel-related scams in the first part of the year.
- The couple hopes their experience will warn others about online scams.
