Free piano offer lures victims in elaborate scam

The email often solicits help in finding a suitable home for the piano, targeting schools, music teachers, families, and churches.

Victims are drawn into a conversation with the sender, who fabricates a backstory and portrays them as an ideal candidate. The piano, they claim, is in storage and requires a delivery fee, usually between £100 and £500. Once the payment is made, communication ceases.

Forsyth, a British music shop and piano dealer, has been contacted by individuals seeking advice before committing to the delivery. They report that many others have already lost significant sums of money to this scheme, as the piano doesn’t exist.

Macauley Sykes from Sykes & Sons, a piano workshop in Stockport, confirms this is a recurring scam. They have witnessed musicians, churches, and educational institutions falling prey to the fraud.

Sykes & Sons advises caution when encountering offers of valuable instruments like Yamaha or Steinway grand pianos from unknown individuals, especially if a delivery fee is required before a personal inspection.

Unlike typical phishing scams, these emails rarely contain links or attachments. They often impersonate a woman grieving a loss or a closing organization.

Authorities urge recipients to delete or ignore these emails and avoid clicking any links. Suspicious emails can be reported to report@phishing.gov.uk.