A PERSON who offered help to a seemingly broken-down motorist saw their bank account emptied in a scam.
The victim was driving along the A352 Sherborne to Dorchester road on January 29 between 11am and 12pm when they noticed a white van with its bonnet up.
This caused the victim to stop, and the driver of the van asked to use their mobile phone, claiming that his phone battery died.
The good Samaritan opened their mobile phone using their PIN number and handed it to the scammer. The scammer then walked away, claiming the reception was poor where he was standing.
READ MORE: Warning over bank card scam in Sherborne
READ MORE: Two fraudsters jailed after targeting elderly in Dorset scam
The scammer walked out of sight and added an app to the phone, which gave him access to the phone’s contents.
Later that day, the victim received a call from the scammer claiming to be their bank and said that money had been taken from the victim’s account and that the victim needed to open their banking app on their phone to have the money returned.
Once the banking app was opened, the scammer used the access to the phone they had obtained earlier to remove all the money in the victim’s bank account and then removed the victim’s banking app from the phone so they could not check their account.
Dorset Police is now appealing for anyone with a dash cam who was driving along the A352 on January 29 between 11am and 12pm to check footage to see if the registration number of the white van has been recorded.
Click here for more crime news from your New Blackmore Vale.
Don’t have bank details on your phone……