BBC presenter issues warning after losing half his life savings in 'traumatic' scam

BBC presenter Peter Levy has shared a stark warning after being conned out of half his life savings in what he described as a "traumatic" scam. Speaking on air with Richard Stead, the broadcaster recounted the distressing experience that occurred earlier this year.

The radio host, who is still dealing with the aftermath of the incident, expressed his turmoil: "It is the most horrific, horrific feeling." He added: "It's absolutely awful, you feel stupid, you feel thick, you feel... It happened in February and it is still being sorted out. Just this lunchtime I've been to a bank. It's awful, so when people talk about the scams it is dreadful, it's awful."

During the conversation, Richard highlighted the risk associated with using the same password for multiple online accounts, citing 'Peter 123' as an example, reports the Express. In response, the BBC Radio Humberside host admitted: "I'll be honest, I've got the same for everything."

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"I don't use 'Peter1234', it's a lot better than that but it is the same thing and you shouldn't do that. But how do you remember all the different [passwords]? ".

Richard then pointed out that some devices offer suggestions for strong passwords to help protect online accounts. Reflecting on the emotional impact of the scam, Peter continued: "It is so traumatising and upsetting. It's dreadful. You can't sleep, you can't do anything. You feel helpless and I fell for something."

Recalling what happened, he said: "It was about 20 past seven in the evening and this is a good one to watch out." He said the scammers, presenting themselves as bank fraud officers, queried him about a £500 transaction allegedly made from his account within the hour, something Peter denied given he'd been working at the time.

Following that call, Peter was led to log into his account under the guise of conducting some 'security checks', even though he knew how unethical such acts were, having often discussed them in interviews. Admitting he "fell for it badly", he told listeners: "This is a good one to remember". For money-saving tips, sign up to our Money newsletter here

He then proceeded to describe another elaborate scam scheme he's discovered recently which involved public car park payment apps being manipulated by scammers. He said: "You go in to a public car park and there's a queue for the pay machine so you want to scan the app on the wall... Don't do that because those are being [used for scams]. Queue, be patient, don't use the app on the wall."