Elderly Couple Scammed, Reimbursed

0:00It's March 29th. Welcome in. This is Lester News today, where local news meets AI, an 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife from Lester, got scanned out of 2,500 pounds for fake flights to. India. They thought they booked a legit two-month trip through a travel site, but it turned out to be fraudsters. After hitting a wall with their bank, they appealed to the financial ombudsman service. And now Santander has fully reimbursed them. The couple had planned this visit to relatives in Gujarat for eight years, so the husband shopped online for a better deal. He landed on a phony page, mimicking Expedia, which pushed him to what's app for a direct bank transfer. They only realized the tickets were bogus at Heathrow Airport Check-In back in November, right before boarding. Shashi Kala and Dinesh were devastated, panicking at the gate, and turning down last-minute real tickets that would have cost 5,000 pounds each. The bank first blamed them for the transfer and said no refund. Their son stepped in, pushing the ombudsman to force a review. Santander came through quick after that,

1:04calling it a clear scam and sending back every penny. They showed real sympathy and drop stats. In the first three months of the year, travel fraud hit over 74,000 pounds, just with their customers using fake sites and killer deals. The Jansaris finally made it to Ahmedabad later, through a trusted local agent, turning a nightmare into a win. Their stories, the heads-up scammers pray on everyone, so double check before you click or transfer, especially hunting bargains online. Stay sharp out there.