A QUICK-THINKING carer helped her vulnerable client recover thousands of pounds that had been stolen by a devious fraudster.

First City Nursing healthcare assistant Helen Dunn regularly assists the fraud victim with household tasks and shopping trips.

When Helen called in to do a routine trip with her client, who will be referred to as Emma Morris to protect her real identity, she heard Emma talk to a friend and become upset.

After returning home, Helen heard Emma sound very distressed while talking on the phone with her bank and insisting that there should be money in her account - but the bank said otherwise.

Helen said: “When I got back from shopping, I got Emma something to eat, and told her that I hoped everything would be sorted out.

“As soon as I left her home I decided to ring the First City office and let them know that I was concerned that she seemed very distressed.

“We always respect clients’ privacy, but it seemed to me that she had a personal problem that was worrying her and I suspected that money had disappeared from her account.”

First City managers sent a member of their team round to talk with Emma and she confirmed that she was happy for the care group to see what they could do to help her recover from the bank fraud scam.

Helen added: “I didn’t want Emma to have to deal with it alone. I’ve got a relative who almost got scammed by someone trying to access their computer myself, so I know how easy it can be to let your guard down.”

First City managers alerted adult social services at Swindon Borough Council to the situation, who were able to ensure that Emma had enough money for essentials such as food while the bank investigated.

The investigation into possible criminal activity is still ongoing, but in the meantime Emma has been refunded half of the money that disappeared from her account so she can return to some sort of normality.

Emma said: “I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on my worst enemy but Helen and First City acted so very fast, I just couldn’t believe it. Helen is my heroine, I can’t thank her enough.”

Helen’s manager Clare Wigley said: “We as a firm are proud of how swiftly Helen reacted. She immediately put into practice the safeguarding training we give to all our staff.

“As a result, Emma was able to access the help she needed straight away. We really appreciate Helen’s quick thinking and compassion, and we know that Emma does too.”