[Cheezil]

Poor form from Bendigo Bank. Glad I don't have an account there then!

 

[Tipsy]

Switch to ANZ

to hell with the ANZ or any of the other big banks, I use Heritage and have done for some years now and couldnt be happier..... I just wish they would hop into all those small towns where the gutless big banks have done a runna.

 

[Valandross]

I work in IT and have seen these types of scams. You must remember Microsoft, Google, Apple Amazon and all other tech companies, government departments and utilities will never cold call you claiming your computer or router or whatever, has been hacked/breached. If you receive a call like this just hang up. Additionally if your searching the web and get a pop up on your screen claiming your computer is infected or has lots of errors and call a 1800 number to speak with a technician to fix it, just close the box or browser. IF you find you are unable to get rid of the warning on the screen use ctrl alt del and shutdown the computer. Power it back up then run a deep scan on your computer. Additionally clear out your web browser cache. If you don't know how to do this get someone who does such as a friend or relative. Or call local professional computer service. I so hate seeing people scammed of their hard earned funds and life savings.

Great advice

 

[Lauren]

Bank fails to block transactions allowing scammers to drain $249,000 from a couple's savings​

Scammers are unfortunately becoming more and more sophisticated, and they will target anyone they think they can get easy money from.

That's why it's so important for everyone to be extra vigilant about their online activity, and to never give out personal information or passwords to anyone, no matter who they say they are.

Sadly, not even being careful can always prevent you from becoming a victim of fraudsters. Just ask this elderly couple who recently lost $249,000 in a sophisticated online scam.

Edward, 86, and Joan Adams, 82, slammed Bendigo Bank for failing to block suspicious transactions made on their account. The couple fell victim to a team of fake Microsoft employees who took over their computers and wasted no time accessing their bank accounts.

Two of their banks, NAB and HSBC, immediately blocked the attempted withdrawals. Bendigo Bank, however, did not freeze their accounts until four days after the incident.

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The couple's other banks were able to freeze their accounts before anything bad happened. Credit: Expect Best/Pexels

Joan spoke to reporters and said that it took scammers three days and took out 11 withdrawals until it reached $249,000.

The withdrawals ranged from $10,000 to $50,000, and these came from a loan account that the couple reportedly have not used for two years.

Edward said that Bendigo Bank should ‘absolutely’ have blocked the transactions because the payees weren’t people they’d paid before. Also, because it was an enormous amount of money, it should have already been flagged as suspicious from the get-go.

However, the bank informed the couple via a letter that ‘generally, a bank does not have an obligation to monitor transactions on its customers’ behalf and reimburse a customer for authorised payments to a third party’.

Adding insult to injury, they revealed that Bendigo Bank is charging them interest.

‘To charge you interest on that money, that’s really kicking it in your face’, he said.

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Bendigo Bank failed to block the suspicious transactions. Credit: REINER SCT/Pexels

For now, the couple said they will pay off the $249,000 that was stolen. They hoped their story serves as a warning to others.

‘They’ve got me, they’re going to get other people,’ Mr Adams said.

Bendigo Bank released a statement and explained they were taking cyber security ‘very seriously’.

They shared: ‘The Bank’s security staff remain vigilant and work closely with Australian cybersecurity agencies, intelligence and technology partners to detect any malicious or abnormal behaviour.’

The bank added that they contacted the financial institution that received the stolen money ‘immediately’ after the incident was brought to their attention.

Unfortunately, the receiving financial institution explained that they were not able to recover the funds.

They refused to comment pending further investigation.

Key Takeaways

• An elderly couple lost $249,000 in a sophisticated online scam.
• The couple accused Bendigo Bank of failing to block the suspicious transactions.
• The bank has said that it ‘takes cyber security very seriously’.
• Bendigo Bank managed to freeze the couple’s accounts four days after the scammers hacked into their computers.
• The couple will pay the $249,000 but hope that their story will be a warning to others.

We hope you stay vigilant and safe out there, members! To stay informed about other scams and fraud cases that are circulating online, consider visiting our forum to learn more.

I only have 2 word when they ring me, one starts with "f" and the other with" o". I even had one person ring twice.

 

[Linwar]

If I were a customer of Bendigo Bank I would definitely being going elsewhere. Sounds like NAB and HSBC are much better options.

I'm with Great Southern Bank and I was on a station in Melbourne when I felt thirsty and had 15 minutes to wait for my train. I thought I'd get a coke from a vending machine, but it only took a card so I used mine. Whilst I was on the train I got a text message to say had I used my card for $2.15 ,20 minutes ago. i live in Queensland and had not used my card in Melbourne before. I was impressed.

 

[VK2LEE]

I was scammed a month ago by scammers located in Fitzroy Victoria [CTB bank info] they bought Woolies gift cards - charged Me rent via Bpay - also used afterpay- plus took all the money We had in a bank account [which wasn't more than $2000] Everything was blocked - and I received a credit for all they took. After a month I received My savings back from the Commonwealth Bank. My computer locked up and I had to ring a 03 number. Never again... Bugbuyer