Man stung by £78,000 e-mail scam

A Worcestershire widower has lost £78,000 to e-mail scammers who told him a relative had left him £4.5m.

The man, in his 70s and from Bromsgrove, transferred £27,000 to a Chinese bank account and then travelled to Paris to hand over £36,000 to a man.

He was told the money was needed to help unlock his inheritance and then agreed to pay a further £15,000 commission to the man he met in Paris.

He only realised it was a scam when he was asked for an extra £20,000.

The fraudsters had told him the money was needed for further documentation.

'Well-known con'

Det Con Jo Bills, of West Mercia Police, said: "This type of offence is known as a boiler room theft, which is thought to have got its name because the offenders use high pressure techniques.

"This elderly man has fallen victim to a well-known con and unfortunately he did not realise until he had handed over a vast sum of money."

She said anyone contacted by a person claiming a relative had left them money should "exercise extreme caution".

She added: "The fact that they have never heard of this relative should set alarm bells ringing and they should never ever in any circumstances respond by giving their bank details or handing over money."