A disabled Ipswich woman left ‘devastated’ after being scammed out of £1,000 by a suspected fake advert for a motorhome has been recompensed by her bank.
Caroline Oliver, 61, said the money was the savings she shared with her husband and that she cried tears of joy when her bank Santander said they would compensate her.
Action Fraud has confirmed a report in relation to the incident has been logged and Mrs Oliver said she felt “stupid, embarrassed, dirty, humiliated and very very upset” because of the suspected online con.
But now that £1,000 has been given to her she said: “It really takes the pressure off and it’s a backup to cover the bills.
"I hadn't heard back from on Action fraud for a couple of weeks so I was losing hope but then the bank phoned me up out of the blue.
“I cried when they said I would get it back. It was such a relief to get it back.
"My husband said to me 'well done' and we were both very happy."
However, Mrs Oliver added: “I’m not going to consider buying a motorhome again. I've been put off the idea for life now.
"There are scams on Facebook I’ve seen since this happened, and I want to warn everyone that if the price seems too good to be true then it probably is.”
Mrs Oliver previously said after losing her money that the motorhome "was a dream and it just disappeared".
A man and a woman had spoken to her on Facebook after she clicked on the ad for her dream motorhome.
They persuaded her to send a £1,000 deposit to an account and then gave her the address of a house to collect the motorhome from but Mrs Oliver later realised there was no house and the address was fake.
Action Fraud took up her case but have not told Mrs Oliver of any progress in the investigation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here