93-year-old woman’s $58,000 savings becomes target of 25-year-old man’s alleged attempted scam

Scams targeting vulnerable individuals remain a prevalent and concerning issue today, often exploiting trust and financial naivety.

In a distressing turn of events, a 93-year-old woman became the target of an elaborate scam orchestrated by a 25-year-old Victorian man.

These incidents serve as stark reminders of the potential risks faced by elderly and vulnerable populations in financial transactions.


Pretending to be a fraud investigator, the man allegedly made several phone calls to the woman between 26 and 27 June.

He allegedly coerced the elderly woman into withdrawing a substantial $58,000 from her accounts and convinced her that this money was necessary to safeguard her finances from supposed scammers.


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The 25-year-old man coerced the 93-year-old woman to withdraw $58,000 from her account. Credit: Shutterstock


The woman, residing in South Perth, became suspicious and confided in a neighbour, who wisely advised her to contact the authorities.

Upon learning that the man planned to collect the money from her home, the police swiftly apprehended him near the Causeway Bridge on Riverside Drive in Perth on Friday, June 28.

Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Thompson of the Cannington Detectives Office highlighted the prevalence of such scams targeting elderly and vulnerable individuals in the community.



‘Victims are being contacted by telephone from people posing to be fraud investigators,’ he said.

‘These groups convince victims they are in danger of being ‘hacked’ and pose as legitimate fraud specialists willing to assist.’

‘Once trust is gained, the groups request large sums of cash and gift card payments to conduct their investigation.’

‘Cannington Detectives Office would like to urge the public to remain vigilant of fraudulent activities and scams within the community.’

The accused 25-year-old has faced serious charges, including two counts of intent to defraud by deceit and one count of attempted intent to defraud by deceit.

He is scheduled to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on 18 July.



In a similar story, a 95-year-old great-grandmother was scammed out of $1.6 million by individuals posing as bank officials.

The victim’s daughter thought it was a legitimate interaction with her mother’s bank and felt deeply ashamed after realising the scam. You can read more about the story here.
Tip
If you or someone else has been scammed, you can report it to Scamwatch here.

You can also head over to our Scam Watch forum to stay updated with the latest tricks scammers use to deceive people out of their money and sensitive details.
Key Takeaways

  • The accused allegedly posed as a fraud investigator to coerce the elderly woman into withdrawing $58,000.
  • Law enforcement was able to apprehend the suspect before any harm was done when the victim’s neighbour advised the victim to contact the police.
  • The 25-year-old suspect faces multiple charges related to fraud, highlighting the severity of such criminal actions.
  • Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Thompson's cautionary message underscored the ongoing threat of scams targeting vulnerable members of society.
What steps do you take to protect yourself or your loved ones from potential scams? Share your insights and experiences in the comments below!
 
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If you are not sure ring the bank or whoever the company is the person says they are involved with. Just say thank you l shall chase the matter up myself and hang up. Talk to a family member or trusted friend about your concerns. Even ring the police and talk to someone there about your concerns. Please take the time to stop think about what the person is saying and get rid of them then do your own home work before you get stung.
Kind regards to all Vicki
 
The scammers are becoming more sophisticated over time. I remember very clearly the scammers from years ago who used to send their rubbish via fax, and maybe via teletype before that. They usually seemed to originate in Nigeria or some such place, and often told a story that was actually pretty easy to realise was a scam but which worked often enough for the scam to keep going for a long time. I don't answer phone calls from 02 or 03 numbers that don't have an identity shown, or from mobiles that I don't recognise.
 
Whenever you get a call from a bank or fraud services. Tell them you'll call back on the number you have. If they are a scammer they will get peed off big time for not trusting them and they'll try to convince you they are genuine. Bingo! you got a scammer. A genuine caller won't do this but don't trust them anyway. Call your bank on the correct number and report.
I have spent hours on the phone with scammers listening to their BS and giving them fake bank numbers etc to piss them off. I make them think I'm following their instructions but it's not working. They get really mad at me and start abusing me so I abuse them back big time. Another Red Flag is that most of them call after 5.30 pm. They forget to allow for different time zones between states and other countries.
TREAT EVERYTHING AS A SCAM because it usually is.
 
He should be named and shamed, and made to sell every thing he owns including his house and car, and pay it all back to whoever he scamed.
 
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Perhaps bring back jail with hard labor, it might just make some of these scammers think twice.
 
Whenever you get a call from a bank or fraud services. Tell them you'll call back on the number you have. If they are a scammer they will get peed off big time for not trusting them and they'll try to convince you they are genuine. Bingo! you got a scammer. A genuine caller won't do this but don't trust them anyway. Call your bank on the correct number and report.
I have spent hours on the phone with scammers listening to their BS and giving them fake bank numbers etc to piss them off. I make them think I'm following their instructions but it's not working. They get really mad at me and start abusing me so I abuse them back big time. Another Red Flag is that most of them call after 5.30 pm. They forget to allow for different time zones between states and other countries.
TREAT EVERYTHING AS A SCAM because it usually is.
I had a scammer (you have a computer virus scams) led on for nearly an hour when his mate decided to jump on the phone to convince me my computer was at risk and lead me through the process. I played along for ages listening to them, but I was not doing anything, and I did not even have my computer on.
They were not very happy when I revealed their game was up.
 

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