Wigan pensioner left “frightened and in panic” after being scammed

Carol Nicholson, 74, saw her ordeal start when she received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Inland Revenue.

Threats were then made that she should stay on the phone or that the police would be involved.

The person then told Carol that she owed £1,000 of unpaid taxes from 1980, before then threatening that someone would come and remove her car and goods from her house.

They told Ms Nicholson that they were based in Blackburn and it would be too far for her to travel, so they advised her to buy £1,000 worth of Amazon Vouchers from Asda at Robin Retail Park, Wigan.

Her daughter Andrea Bennett said: “If she was then asked in Asda why was she buying them, she was to say they were for a present.

“They would then ring back for the code of the vouchers later that day, so she panicked and went to Asda.”

Fortunately, when Ms Nicholson did go to buy the vouchers from Asda, staff quickly realised that something was amiss and that it was a scam.

A manager from Asda then stopped Ms Nicholson from buying it before bringing the police into the store and explaining to her that the phone call was a scam. The police then took her safely home.

Andrea Bennett said: “I’d like to thank Asda Wigan’s manager from stopping my mum, who’s 74, buying £1,000 worth of Amazon vouchers.

“I’d also like to thank her for bringing the police in and explaining that the phone call she had from the so-called Inland Revenue saying she had to stay on the phone, and that if she didn’t the police would be involved, was a scam.”

Ms Bennett said she wants to warn others not to fall victim to the scam. She said: “Asda stopped this and she didn’t get scammed but she almost did.

“She was left frightened and in panic after what these low-lives did. This is what these people do, preying on the most vulnerable and taking advantage of their better nature.”