A lorry driver lost thousands in a property deal. A friend “scammed” him after backing out and keeping the deposit.
The family’s lawyer shared details about the case. Last April, the man agreed to buy his friend’s house, but the friend then decided not to sell, creating problems between them.
The victim’s daughter spoke about her dad’s hard work. He drove a lorry for 30 years, often sleeping in his truck, away from family, and the loss of money hit him hard.
The seller showed proof he owned the house. He included a professional valuation, a contract, and even toured the house with the sister-in-law. He owned the property with his wife.
The man sent two payments of £17,157.40 to the seller and his wife. The wife returned her half right away, but the husband refused to return his share.
She said he claimed they wasted his time and that they did not pay him. They showed him the evidence, and he blocked her dad’s phone number.
National Fraud Helpline took the case and secured half the deposit back, totaling about £8,500, from a money transfer platform. The law firm says the platform gave no scam warnings.
The family plans to sue the friend and will use civil courts to get the remaining money.
His daughter stated the scam deeply affected her dad. He now trusts no one, needs written confirmation for everything, and asked his friend to sell or return the deposit. The friend refused and won’t even talk.
Adam Beach, a lawyer, called it a sad case. Scams are worse when friends are involved, and betrayal feels much deeper.
Banks and money services must prevent scams by asking about unusual activity. The lawyer argued that warnings were not strong enough.