Fans of the UK's longest-running soap are witnessing an online banking fraud unfold before their eyes.
Unfortunately, Coronation Street's Gail McIntyre has only herself to blame for the loss of £40,000. Gail, played by actress Helen Worth, falls victim to conman boyfriend Lewis Archer, who secretly prints off her bank details from her computer before blackmailing her daughter-in-law Kylie into revealing her login and password details.
The Payments Council has little sympathy for Gail, saying that she could have avoided the scam by following some simple advice about not revealing passwords or writing them down undisguised. Chief Executive Adrian Kamellard says: "Internet banking is a really quick, convenient way to manage your money and millions of people use it safely every day. Innocent fraud victims get excellent legal protection but Gail's story is a reminder of how important it is to keep your security details secure." The Payments Council is the organisation that sets the strategy for UK payments – set up by the payments industry in 2007 to ensure that UK payment systems and services meet the need of payment service providers, users and the wider economy.
In 2009, the Serious Fraud Office advised the writers of long-running BBC radio drame The Archers, about how to handle an investigation into a case of bank fraud by local crooked businessman Matt Crawford.
