GMB star scammed out of entire life savings before job is axed in brutal ITV cuts

A devastated Good Morning Britain star has opened up about the devastating moment he realised he had been scammed of his entire life savings.

North American correspondent Noel Phillips joined Ed Balls and Kate Garraway during Wednesday mornings Good Morning Britain via video link to discuss the how he lost his entire life savings. Noel was called by scammers pretending to be representatives from Chase Bank, who told them his account had been compromised.

He then called back the number, which somehow, connected him to his bank's customer service. Later, he realised it was a trick, making the call look like it was legitimate. Moments later, they rang back again and he received a notification from his banking app, informing him of a payment he had not made.

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Noel had been locked out the system - and then ran to the bank with the fraudsters still on the line. Before he knew it, he had made a transaction, losing his entire life savings of almost $30,000.

The scammers convinced Noel he needed to transfer his money into separate accounts, which they said had his name on it. They persuaded him the staff were responsible for the fraud, and he should avoid informing them of what had happened.

"I'm still in disbelief," he told the hosts. "I remember two weeks ago I was lying on the kitchen floor numb, refusing to accept the fact I did something so stupid. I felt embarrassed, I felt ashamed, I felt worthless. On top of that, the excruciating pain of all of this is the mental trauma.

"The fact that I for the last couple of days wake up in the middle of the night, pick up my phone and open my banking app in hopes that this was all a twisted reality.

"How could someone like me who reports stories like this fall a victim? How could this happen to me?", Noel was left questioning.

Chase Bank said: "These type of scams are heartbreaking. We urge all consumers to ignore all phone, texts or internet requests to move money or gain access to their bank accounts. Banks and legitimate companies won't make these requests that scammers will."

Noel said the most painful part of the statement was the fact the bank had "turned his back on him" after the mistake. He says those who scammed him have an account with Chase Bank - but as he went into the bank and did the transfer there was nothing they could do.

It comes just days after it was announced that American correspondent Noel had been axed from Good Morning Britain. The journalist has appeared on the early morning programme since early 2021, and, as US correspondent, he has reported on numerous major events such as the US election of Donald Trump and the LA wildfires.

On Thursday, it emerged via Deadline that he has been dropped from his position on the programme as ITV attempts to shave £15 million from its budget. The broadcaster's earnings have allegedly plummeted by 44 per cent to £99 million during the first six months of the year, sparking a fresh drive to curb production expenses.

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