Helen Skelton reveals she was scammed out of £70K in life savings after answering a fake phone call from her bank
Helen Skelton has revealed she was scammed out of £70,000 after answering a fake phone call.
Speaking on Thursday’s Lorraine the presenter, 36, admitted her entire collection of savings disappeared after she answered just a ‘few questions’ from someone she thought was connected to her bank.
Helen spoke candidly about her horrific experience as she prepares to host a programme to raise awareness about online scammers.
Shocking: Helen Skelton has revealed she was scammed out of a staggering £70,000 after she answered a fake phone call she thought had come from her bank
Helen – who is mum to sons Ernie, four, and Louis, two, – told Lorraine Kelly: ‘I am really busy at the minute doing a programme next week for ITV which is all about scamming.
‘I got phoned up by the bank, told something dodgy had been going on with my account. A week later £70,000, all my savings had gone.’
Lorraine struggled to hide her disbelief, as she said with her mouth open in shock: ‘£70,000?! Jesus…’
Open: The presenter was on Thursday’s Lorraine to promote her new book which inspires getting outdoors, but also chatted about her programme on scamming
Close family: Helen has two sons with husband of five years Richie Myler, Ernie, four, and Louis, two
How you can stop yourself being tricked by fraudsters
Keeping ahead of the fraudsters may seem like an impossible task, but Fake Britain suggested several ways that you can ensure you avoid being scammed.
Keep your anti-virus protection up to date
The programme said keeping anti-virus protection software up to date and turned on was ‘vital’
Contact any company you’re dealing with through official links
Always contact companies directly through information they have on their own web pages.
These will likely be up-to-date and take you directly to somebody working for the company.
Helen added: ‘ All gone. And it was just a few questions over the phone. The reason I’ve made this programme is because it happens every day of the week.
‘We’re not talking about little old ladies who are victims who don’t understand the internet, that’s a massively naive assumption.
‘It’s happening to people and they’re too embarrassed to say that it’s happened. So we’ve got a programme on next week that will hopefully help people be aware, be on guard, and avoid that.’
Speaking out: Helen explained that she lost her savings through the phone scam, and insisted viewers are ‘naive’ to think they won’t fall for such a ploy
Truthful: The star also said she wants her two sons to view her as someone who doesn’t just look after them
Chic: Helen put on a stylish display in a navy maxi dress with colourful floral print and yellow suede heels as she made her daytime TV appearance
Helen was a guest on the show to promoted the release of her new book which offers advice for her fans who are eager to get outside and be more active.
The star explained that she wanted to be an inspiration to her two sons so they would see her as more than just a person taking care of them.
She added: ‘I adore being a mum it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, but I want the boys to know I’m not just the person who wipes their bottoms and tells them to brush their teeth.’
Lorraine airs weekdays from 8:30am on ITV.
Lovely: Helen was also effortlessly chic as she headed out of Television Centre following her interview with Lorraine
Pretty: The star was beaming as she headed out for the day after speaking about her new book and her programme on scamming
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