EastEnders has announced further details of the new storyline that sees Jean Slater, played by Gillian Wright, become the target of financial scammers.
The BBC soap said: "As Christmas approaches, there will be devastation for Jean Slater as she discovers she's the victim of an intricate pension scam.
"EastEnders has worked with experts in the field including independent scams expert Nick Stapleton, The Pensions Regulator, and Stop Scams UK on the storyline in which Jean is tricked into giving the money she's accrued in a long-forgotten pension fund to scammers.
"Tonight, Jean is distraught to discover the 'financial advisors' she's trusted to invest her money are criminals who've targeted her and have stolen everything she has invested.
"The story - which is part of BBC's Scam Safe initiative - will continue as Jean discovers more about the scammers and deals with the practical and emotional fallout of the crime."
EastEnders Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw said of the storyline: "Jean's story will highlight the extreme strategies scammers use to gain a victim's trust to convince them into parting with serious sums of money.
"Not only will Jean have to cope with losing her pension money, but she'll also have to deal with a range of difficult emotions as she tells her family and friends what's happened."
Click here for more on the soaps.
.svg)