BBC presenter reveals they 'can't sleep' after losing half their life savings in 'traumatic' online scam

BBC Radio Humberside newsreader Peter Levy has opened up about being caught up in an online scam that saw him lose half his life savings. The 68-year-old revealed in an interview with Richard Stead that he had fallen victim to a scam in February.

The TV presenter and newsreader urged listeners to be careful after he shared his story of the “traumatic” incident which is still being “sorted out”. Levy described it as, “the most horrific, horrific feeling”, revealing that he had experienced sleepless nights since the ordeal began.

Speaking with Richard Stead about how he got caught up in the scam Levy issued a stern warning to viewers. He explained: "It's absolutely awful, you feel stupid, you feel thick, you feel...” Continuing, he said: “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."

Stead explained the dangers of using the same password across different platforms, giving the example, “Peter123” and shared that devices can suggest good passwords to use. Levy replied: “I'll be honest, I've got the same for everything. 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?”

Discussing how he was scammed, Levy shared: “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...”

He went on to explain what happened, he said: “It was about 20 past seven in the evening and this is a good one to watch out. They ring up and say things like, 'This is the fraud department of Richard Stead Bank. We've noticed some unusual activity on your account. Have you spent £500 in the last hour?' And I said, 'No, I haven't spent £500 in the last hour. I've been at work'."

He then logged into his online banking after the scammers claimed they needed to carry out “security checks”, with Levy sharing that he “fell for it badly” despite conducting interviews about scams. He went on to share a warning with listeners about another scam he had found out about. Levy said: “This is a good one to remember. And again, I have to sub it down slightly.”

He warned: “The bank has told me this in the last couple of weeks. 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."

The Samaritans can offer information and support for anyone affected by the content of this article. You can call their helpline on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK.

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.