Granny muggers

The HSBC fiasco (your report, 6 December) is only the most recent scandal to hit our banks and will come as no surprise to those of us who spent out professional lives caring for the elderly. The Financial Services Authority found “serious and systemic” mis-selling where frail elderly people struggling to pay care-home fees were lured into gambling their life savings on risky investments.

It has been going on for decades and I have not the slightest doubt many more pensioners have fallen victim to snake-oil salesmen in other financial institutions. Granny-mugging is clearly industry wide. This case should be a wake-up call for anyone with a trusting elderly relative.

(Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews