A heart-wrenching story has emerged of a terminally ill pensioner, Valerie Horwood, who fell victim to a scam and lost £140,000. The 81-year-old from Fleet, Hampshire, was deceived by a scammer pretending to be Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. The scammer, who claimed to be Valerie’s old school friend, convinced her to purchase hundreds of Apple gift cards with the promise of getting a return on her investment. Valerie, who has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, now finds herself with no funds to fulfil her last wishes or provide for her children.
Valerie’s daughter, Debbie, shared that her mother was devastated upon realising she had been scammed, as she had genuinely believed she was helping a friend. The family only became aware of the situation when Valerie requested to borrow money to pay her bills, discovering her account was empty. The emotional toll on Valerie was immense, leading to a suicide attempt. Since then, she has moved in with her daughter and a team of carers to support her.
Debbie took action by visiting supermarkets where her mother had purchased the gift cards, resulting in Tesco refunding £12,500 of the expenses. The family is advocating for other supermarkets such as Waitrose, Boots, and Morrisons, where a significant portion of the money was spent, to follow suit and refund the remaining amount. The goal is to give Valerie the autonomy to decide how to utilise the recovered funds, potentially for her care in a nursing home or to visit her grandson in Antigua.
In response to the incident, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, and Boots expressed sympathy for Valerie’s ordeal and outlined measures they are taking to prevent gift card fraud in their stores. Tesco highlighted their fraud prevention strategies, including transaction limitations and staff training, while Waitrose and Boots reiterated their commitment to safeguarding customers against fraud.
A JustGiving page has been established by a former colleague of Debbie’s to assist in recouping some of Valerie’s lost savings, with any surplus funds intended for charity. The community has rallied around Valerie, recognising the devastating impact of scams on vulnerable individuals and the urgent need for more extensive safeguards against such fraudulent schemes.
This story serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of online scams and the profound consequences they can have on individuals and their families. It underscores the importance of vigilance, awareness, and support for those who fall victim to financial exploitation, particularly vulnerable members of society.