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Paula was scammed for 拢5,000 when a call from her bank's fraud team caught her off guard. Michelle and mum Mavis are on the case with a team of ethical hackers to investigate.

Working mum Paula was getting ready for a night out with her husband when scammers called and advised her to move her money to a safe account. A few days later she realised it was anything but safe. Churchgoer Mia was asked by her boss to purchase some vouchers over email, except the person calling her wasn鈥檛 her boss. After she had bought six for more than 拢1,000, she realised something was wrong and faced a fight to get her money back.

A team of ethical hackers investigate where Paula and Mia may have slipped up online and given out information about themselves that could have made them a target for scammers. Elsewhere, Michelle and Mavis are on the case, meeting with Dr Roberta Babb to find out about the psychology behind scams, and with forensic financial investigator Richard Emery to learn about the steps banks are taking to shut these frauds down, as well as picking up some important password hints and tips from a cyber security firm. Paula and Mia come to see Michelle and Mavis and learn about how they can keep themselves safe online in future.

29 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Mavis Ackerley
Presenter Michelle Ackerley
Series Producer Steve McConville
Executive Producer Caroline Short

Broadcast

Find out more about scammers and keeping safe online with The Open University.

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