Frome woman loses £2,500 after delivery text scam

Freyja Cuff, who is 34 weeks pregnant, has been saving money for her unborn baby and a new flat.

She currently lives with her husband, Tom Cuff, at his parents house while they save.

The pair, from Frome, had planned to have moved into their new home, but their move in date has been delayed month after month. And now - after loosing £2,500 - the couple and their family are heartbroken.

Mrs Cuff, 22, received a text asking to enter details for a delivery. As she was expecting a delivery that day, she did not think the text was a scam.

After a while, Mrs Cuff worried that maybe there was something wrong and so logged the incident with her bank just to make sure.

Her bank said they would give her a call back to take the details.

Mrs Cuff then received a call, which she believed was her bank, but it was a scam and the money was drained from her account whilst she was on the phone.

Emma Harris, Mrs Cuff’s mum, said: “It broke my heart, it is just an unbearable thing to happen to her.

“When she rang me to tell me, she was just crying and saying all her money has been stolen and it was her fault.

“She felt so awful and thought she should have known better, but it was a perfect storm - the fact she had a delivery due and then that the bank rang her.

“Her sister asked Freyja if it would be okay to set up a crowdfunder and she is really touched so many people have donated.

“We just want to try and help her have a fresh start. She felt really hopeless and everything was going wrong - it is hard enough at the moment for young people, especially for someone like Freyja who is just so hardworking.

“We are hoping she can move before the baby is born but then she is moving into an empty flat, so we want to make sure she has everything she needs.”

Mrs Cuff has worked throughout the pandemic for the NHS Covid helpline, but she is not eligible for maternity pay as she has not been there long enough.

And so, she will only be able to take six weeks off work once her baby is born.

Her sister, Nell Fitzjohn, added: “Freyja has shown incredible resilience throughout all the challenges she has faced.

“As a vulnerable young person who has had significant struggles with her mental health all of this stress has taken a big toll on her. Now that she is nearing the end of her pregnancy it is the worst possible time for this to happen.

“Loosing all of her savings, which she worked so hard for, is absolutely devastating.”

Mrs Cuff’s bank does not always refund for these types of crimes, as they are not signed up to the same codes of practice as other UK banks. To donate, visit uk.gofundme.com/f/help-mumtobe-get-back-on-her-feet.