Martin Lewis warns of coronavirus scam targeting elderly people

martin lewis warning coronavirus scam elderly vulnerable bank accounts

(Image credit: Getty)

By Aleesha Badkar 2020-03-23T14:40:00Z

Martin Lewis has warned about a scam that has been targeting elderly people amid the coronavirus.

To issue the warning, the money saving expert took to his advice programme The Martin Lewis Money Show, where he offers guidance on all thing finance.

Speaking on the show last week he revealed to viewers that scammers have been trying to exploit elderly people as the coronavirus pandemic spreads throughout the country.

The con involves scammers phoning up older and vulnerable people to let them know that their banks have been hit by the coronavirus, advising them to move their money to a new account as soon as possible.

Branding the con artists “disgusting,” Martin said that he wished he could speak about them in using the language that he really wanted to.

Advising viewers on what to do if they feel like someone is trying to run the scam on them, Martin said that people should check any finance change “at the source”.

He also advised that if you think your bank has been hit by the crisis, get in touch with them directly.

MORE: Money expert Martin Lewis has issued travel advice amid the coronavirus crisis

Martin also spoke about people trying to get refunds for lost money during this time, advising that we should all try to “be kind to each other”.

Opening up about how companies and businesses could be “struggling” during this tumultuous time, he advised that “it’s worth considering” accepting vouchers instead of asking for a full refund as it “could protect staff from losing their jobs”.

“If we all show each other forbearance right now when we can, we will all come out in the best state we can,” said the TV star.

MORE: What to do if coronavirus anxiety is affecting your mental health

“Be kind to each other,” added the finance expert, “go through all your finances, all your money”.

“We need to look after each other and most importantly, we need to look after our health”.

Aleesha Badkar

Aleesha is digital shopping writer at woman&home - so whether you're looking for beauty, fashion, health or home buys, she knows all the best places to splash your cash. She earned an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London in 2017 after graduating from University of Leeds in 2014 with a BA in English and Spanish (which took her to Madrid for a fun Rioja and tapas-packed year). Aleesha has worked for woman&home since 2019, when she joined the team as their digital news writer. A year on the news team gained her quick and reactive writing skills and a love for breaking stories, invaluable insight into where to get the best lifestyle releases first, an AOP awards nomination and the nickname ‘crazy watch lady’ after she became so obsessed with the royals that she followed breaking news alerts on her Apple Watch.

Before joining the woman&home team, Aleesha wrote for their sister site GoodtoKnow, where she covered celebrity news, health advice and where to snap up the cheapest lifestyle buys. With a background in beauty, Aleesha has also written for Stylist and Women’s Health where she developed an understanding into what makes a stellar product and which brands are worth paying attention to. She never leaves the house without a slick of lip balm and a good slathering of SPF, cannot live without an eyelash curler by her side and is always on the hunt for new lipsticks to add to her ‘Lipstick of the Day’ Instagram story highlight (and color-coordinated collection).

But it’s not just beauty buys Aleesha can help you with. Social media savviness, strong PR relationships and a need to stay in the know mean she’s all about the latest fashions, clever gadgets and reliable lifestyle buys too. She loves indulging in an interior craze (with a bedroom drowned in prints, plants and pink), is a regular visitor to the Missoma and Edge of Ember 'New In' pages and can’t resist the allure of a kitchen gadget—just ask her three coffee machines.

When she’s not playing around with new products and testing anything she can get her hands on, Aleesha spends most of her time with her head in a current bestseller, catching up on the latest Netflix craze with her sister, trying out new recipes, drinking wine with her bestie and (in non-COVID times) has been known to be a bit of a jetsetter amongst her friendship group. Oh and she makes the most of her Disney+ subscription by watching the Marvel films on repeat (definitely not just for Chris Evans...).

Follow her latest shopping & lifestyle advice, beauty insights and social antics on Instagram at @aleeshabadkar.

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Email: aleesha.badkar@futurenet.com