A MOTHER’S life has become a ‘nightmare’ since falling victim to a cold caller offering to help her become debt free.

Vanessa Houghton, 40, of Windsor Road in Dorchester, was told she would be able to claim back more than £6,000 if she paid a one-off fee.

The mum-of-four paid £2,600 to the company We Fight Any Claim which estimated that she would receive £6,668.42 in return.

But Miss Houghton has only received £1,157 and is now £1,143 worse off.

She has since been told if she opts out of the contract there will be a further fee to pay.

Miss Houghton, the manager of Noah’s Café in Trinity Street, is now warning others about cold callers.

She was contacted by the company directly in August last year when she was told that they would help her clear her debts and claim back any payment protection insurance (PPI) she may have been sold.

Miss Houghton said: “It was a very long conversation and they took me through all the avenues and security checks to make me feel safe.

“At first I said no because I didn’t have the funds to pay the upfront fee, but the guy on the phone told me to put it on two credit cards.

“He said Christmas was only around the corner and I should have the money by then.

“I told him I was a single mum with four children and he said that he had children too, so I almost felt like there was a connection there and he would do the very best for me. It was almost emotional blackmail.”

She added: “I have had to take out an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) because of this to sort out my finances.

“It really has been horrendous – I’d describe the past eight months as a nightmare. The stress has made me quite ill. I really do not want anyone else to go through this and I want to get the message out there that people should not trust cold callers.”

Miss Houghton is still receiving daily telephone calls and text messages from other companies claiming they can help her become ‘debt free’.

She said: “I’m ex-directory so I don’t know how they got my number – it’s scary. I don’t even want to answer my phone anymore.”

Pat Bransome, Magna Housing Association’s money matters adviser, said: “I would advise all our residents to be wary of such an approach, however plausible and helpful the person might sound.

“It is better to contact a government-backed organisation such as the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, on 0800 138 1111 or via its website www.cccs.co.uk