Help my family recover from devastating financial fraud

Hi, my name is Conor Smith and I was very against setting up a go fund me page for myself. Personal pride always stood in my way. But after hitting rock bottom and taking advice from my wife, Francesca, I decided to set on up and below is the story of the last few months.

In late August, my family and I began a new chapter of our lives, relocating to Abu Dhabi with excitement and hope. Just a few weeks later, in early October, our lives were turned upside down.

I fell victim to an extremely sophisticated financial fraud. Fraudsters managed to clone my phone through a call and link impersonating the Police, conducting a routine check up on new residents. Through this they gained access to my HSBC UAE bank account. They were able to intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs) sent to my phone and systematically drain all the funds from my debit account—and even maxed out my credit card. In total, we lost upwards of £22,000, wiping out our financial stability overnight.

Since then, we've done everything in our power to fight back. We've worked with the police, had extensive (and at times heated) discussions with the bank, filed with the financial ombudsman, and sought help from financial advisers. But despite months of effort, we’ve been unable to recover the funds.

To stop the £1,000 per month interest we were accruing on the stolen credit, we've had no choice but to take out multiple loans, plunging us further into debt.

While our social media may show the highlights of our new life abroad, the reality behind the scenes has been emotionally and financially devastating. The burden has weighed heavily on my wife and me, and ultimately, it has taken a toll on our well-being.

Our immediate family has been incredible, stepping in to help ensure our daughters can continue to thrive in their new environment. But we’ve now reached a point where we have no choice but to ask for help from our wider community.

We are raising funds to help repay the debts we’ve had to take on just to stay afloat. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a real difference in helping us recover from this nightmare and move forward with a renewed sense of hope and security.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story. If you can donate or share, we are truly grateful.

With heartfelt thanks,

Conor, Francesca, Zara & Florence