**Kent Woman Plunged Into £6,000 Debt After Sophisticated Banking Scam**
A 25-year-old woman from Ashford, Kent, has been left reeling after an elaborate banking scam left her saddled with thousands of pounds of debt and a severely damaged credit score. Kelle Cowell, who juggles working for a timber building company and running her own body piercing business from home, has chosen to publicly share her ordeal to warn others about how convincing and damaging impersonation scams can be.
The distressing experience unfolded in March 2024 when Kelle received a phone call from an unfamiliar number. Having recently been applying for a range of jobs, she suspected it might be a recruiter, and so she picked up. The individual on the other end claimed to be from her bank, Monzo, explaining that a fraudster had managed to infiltrate her account and urging her to take immediate steps to shield her funds.
Displaying unnerving knowledge of her personal details, including her address, the caller persuaded Kelle to transfer the entirety of her account balance—about £580—to a supposedly secure account. Recalling the ordeal, Kelle described how the convincing information the caller provided “completely disarmed” her and made her feel she could trust them. However, the scam did not stop there.
Shortly after transferring her savings, the impersonator told Kelle that an attempt had been made to secure a loan in her name. She was instructed to carry out the loan application process so that she could personally cancel it and prevent the fraudsters from succeeding. Trusting in this advice, she followed the instructions and soon found £6,000 deposited into her account—a sum she never wanted, but which would temporarily tip her into financial turmoil.
Feeling an increasing sense of panic and unease, Kelle began to suspect the legitimacy of the call. She checked her Monzo app for their unique ‘Call Status’ verification tool to confirm if she was genuinely speaking to a bank representative. When she confronted the caller, they abruptly ended the conversation, confirming her worst fears. She immediately notified Monzo, along with her other banks, about the scam.
Despite quickly raising the alarm, Kelle endured an agonising wait. For two weeks, the unwanted loan sat in her account, and she persistently sought updates from the bank’s fraud department. Ultimately, Monzo ruled that she bore responsibility for the loan and began chasing her for repayments of £150 a month, plus interest—significantly impacting her day-to-day financial situation and emotional well-being. Her credit rating, previously a healthy 995, nosedived to 637 due to missed repayments while the investigation lumbered on.
Desperate for support, Kelle contacted national fraud and debt advisory bodies, including ActionFraud, the National Debtline, and the Financial Ombudsman Service. These experts counselled her not to make repayments, warning that doing so would likely confirm her legal liability for the debt—a cruel twist in a situation where she had considered herself a victim.
It was not until nearly three months after the incident that Monzo was able to reverse the fraudulent loan. The bank retrieved the £6,000 and closed the loan; Kelle’s credit record was amended to erase the blemish. In addition, Monzo refunded her the money she initially lost and compensated her for the interest charges, totalling £890.
Speaking about her experience, Kelle said: “The scariest part was how much the scammers knew about me—they had my address, and details of my account, which made me believe them. I felt completely vulnerable and alone, especially when it seemed like the bank didn’t believe me at first.”
A spokesperson for Monzo apologised to Kelle for the distress and delay in resolving the issue, noting that it was fortunate she used their verification tool before the scam escalated. The bank assured that the loan was cancelled, any affected credit records were restored, and compensation was provided, but acknowledged that the process had not been as swift as it should have.
This case starkly highlights the increasingly sophisticated nature of banking scams in the UK and the emotional toll victims can suffer during long investigations. Experts continue to urge the public to verify unexpected banking calls independently and never to follow instructions or transfer money based on unsolicited communications, even if callers seemingly possess personal information. Kelle’s ordeal stands as a cautionary tale for consumers to maintain vigilance as fraudsters deploy ever more convincing tactics.