A nan fell prey to scammers who "destroyed" her family holiday and robbed her of hundreds of pounds.
Val Furneaux, 77, planned to make the trip from her home in the Isle of Wight to Merseyside in April to visit her newborn great-grandson. Val booked a three-night stay at a house in Birkenhead through online travel agency Booking.com, however, before her holiday, she received messages from the purported owner of the property asking her to pay the full balance upfront.
Val told the ECHO: "I had a message through on WhatsApp to say that I had to pay immediately as it was only a few days away from our arrival. I spoke to the woman on the phone and paid through online banking."