OAP has £6,000 stolen at Clayhall ATM
A Clayhall shop owner said he can recall four incidents in the past year. Picture: Ellena Cruse - Credit: Archant
A trickster with “hands like magic” stole more than £6,000 from an OAP using a cash machine in Clayhall.
The OAP got his money back, but the mental anguish will take much longer to heal. Picture: Ellena Cruse - Credit: Archant
The victim – a man in his 70s – tried to withdraw money from an ATM on Clayhall Broadway at the end of July.
He got in touch with the Recorder after seeing an article about a similar con used in Green Lane, Ilford.
He wants to warn other residents and said he won’t fall for the same trick again.
“I haven’t slept for ages, I can’t stop thinking about it,” he said.
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“It’s not just about the money, it has really affected me and I am embarrassed.
“I don’t want to tell my children about it as they will be like ‘oh dad’
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“I can’t believe I fell for it but I tell you now it won’t happen to me again.”
A con artist, who the pensioner believed was working alongside another man, offered his “assistance” and made out that the machine was not working properly and swallowing his card.
The victim tried five different cards in total before he stopped.
Each time a suspect took his card and he later went on to spend thousands of pounds online, including lots of transactions at a betting site.
A Clayhall shopkeeper said this is not the first time residents have been targeted at the cash point and he can recall four separate incidents over the last year.
“In one instance the person cancelled their card within 30 minutes and in that time, they had already withdrawn hundreds of pounds at a nearby cash point and spent money online,” he said.
“I watched the CCTV and their hands move so quickly – their hands are like magic.
“I didn’t even see what they did until I replayed the footage and they often block the screen with a bit of paper to distract you.”
The victim in the latest incident managed to get his money returned to him by the bank, but the mental anguish created by the incident will take a lot longer to heal.
Met Police have been contacted for comment and said they are look into an incident that took place on July 18.
