A WOMAN has revealed how she lost £25,000 in a sinister internet scam.

The Grange woman has decided to share her story in the hope it will be a warning to others.

MP Tim Farron said at least 12 other constituents had contacted him advising that they had fallen victim to similar scams.

The woman, who is in her sixties but did not wish to be named, said she was advised to invest a large sum of money that was already in her bank account.

In the absence of a local branch of her bank to offer advice, the woman carried out online research and came across a website purporting to be that of a prestigious Swiss based investment company.

The 'company' claimed if she purchased a bond, they would invest the money with an reputable US banking giant and promised high returns.

"I'm computer literate and everything looked in order and a family member checked and they believed it all to be genuine," the woman recalled.

The representatives even called her back on several occasions to discuss the investment.

The woman subsequently made an online transfer of £25,000 to a German bank account as instructed and was promised an emailed receipt.

She realised she had been the victim of a scam and emails and phone calls went unanswered.

Most UK banks have now signed up to a voluntary code, which comes into force next month, which will require them to refund scam victims.

However, Mr Farron said this does not apply to current or previous victims such as the constituents who have already contacted him, and the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP has called for banking trade organisation UK Finance to revise the code to include past cases and he has also written to Secretary of State for Business Greg Clark detailing his concerns.