Sam Little, who featured as a Faithful contestant on the fourth series of BBC’s The Traitors, has revealed he fell victim to fraudsters who stole £40,000 from his cryptocurrency account.
The Account Manager from North Yorkshire opened up about the devastating experience in an emotional video posted to Instagram, describing the ordeal as “gut-wrenching.”
Mr Little explained that the scam, which occurred earlier this year, has had a profound effect on both him and his family.
The 40-year-old reality star described the stolen funds as a “life-changing sum” that represented years of hard work and savings.
Sam Little appeared on The Traitors series four as a faithful contestant
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BBC
The scam began when Mr Little received text messages from what appeared to be a verified banking number while he was watching television with his wife.
“It wasn’t incessant. It was maybe once or twice over the previous three days that they said there’s been an attempt, someone trying to get into your account,” he recalled.
The messages included a UK telephone number to call, which Mr Little did, reaching individuals he described as “very helpful, very knowledgeable.”
The criminals had created a duplicate dummy account mirroring his own, meaning he never had to enter any passwords or security codes during the call.
The reality star opened up about the scam in an emotional Instagram video
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They then employed pressure tactics, insisting they needed to act swiftly before anyone else could access the account, systematically working through each of his investments under the guise of an insurance claim.
The turning point came when his wife, Alex, entered the room and searched online for the number he had called.
“There was the most sickening moment when Alex, my wife, came in and she’d googled the number that I’d rang, and it just said red flag UK phishing number scam, do not call,” Mr Little said.
“My heart and everything just fell through the floor. By that point, it was too late. They’d emptied everything.”
When he attempted to call back, the fraudsters had already disconnected the line.
The TV star described the stolen money as his life savings, which included funds his self-employed wife had set aside for starting a family.
“This was like a baby fund. You work for, you work hard, you work for years to build this up, and it’s gone like in an instant,” he said.
Mr Little confirmed he has reported the crime to the police, and an investigation is ongoing, though he admitted he is not hopeful about recovering the funds.
“This is a call for help as well. If anyone knows any other ways that I can be thinking about trying to recoup some of this, please do let me know, because I’m feeling like I’m exhausting every avenue,” he said.
He acknowledged that shame and embarrassment had initially prevented him from speaking out. Still, he ultimately felt it would be “selfish” not to share his experience given how common such scams have become.
Fellow Traitors contestants rallied around him, with Stephen Libby, who played a Traitor in the series, commenting that he was “both heartbroken and furious” at what had happened.
Season four contestant Roxy Wilson wrote: “This is really brave of you to share, Sam. So sorry this happened to you. I’m sure this video will circulate enough to help others!”
Mr Little said the fraud wiped out his life savings in minutes
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GETTY
Meanwhile, Judy Wilson added: “Omg Sam. I have no words, you are so brave speaking out. What an awful act, hope to god they get what’s coming to them.” (sic)
Fellow contestant Dr Ellie Buckley said: “So sorry that happened to you, Sam, that completely sucks. A good reminder to be cautious!”
Fans of the star also shared their sympathy in the comments.
One wrote: “Hi Sam, I’m so sorry this has happened to you.”
Another said: “What a confidence-breaking experience. I pray all that money and more finds its way back to you through other means.”
A third commented: “Thank you for sharing your story. It’s not just the financial side, it’s absolutely the emotional side too. I hope you get some compensation.”