Businesswoman scammed out of $42,000 in seconds: could this text message be a threat to you too?

'Be Alert, Not Alarmed' is a mantra we know. This slogan doesn't just apply to pesky telemarketing or junk mail scams.

In this digital age, where convenience often beats caution, we need to protect ourselves against a rising tide of online criminals.



This brings us to the saga of Savannah Jackson, a businesswoman from Queenstown, New Zealand. She mentioned that she is typically ‘hyper-aware’ and exercises caution regarding texts from potential scammers.

But on June 22, Savannah was caught off-guard. A seemingly ordinary text message claimed her bank, Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), had authorised a new device for her account.


smartphone-gae2c89a47_1280.jpg
Scams through text messages have become increasingly prevalent, with fraudsters attempting to deceive unsuspecting individuals through schemes such as phishing, fake prizes, or urgent requests for personal information. Image by Pexels from pixabay



She said, ‘I am the only one that uses this account, so I stupidly clicked on the page, and as soon as I did it, I said “Oh f***”.’

Caught in a moment of weakness, Savannah clicked the embedded link, instantly punching a $42,000 hole in her savings.



‘Normally, I’m hyper-aware of these things, but I was busy at work and clicked on the link, it went to an official-looking BNZ bank page.’ Jackson said.

The horrifying truth is the speed of the theft; in less time than it takes for your coffee to cool, your life savings could evaporate.

As Savannah recounts, ‘It was $42,000. All the money for my GST, my staff wages to pay, my creditors, everything was gone within literally a couple of minutes.’

Without delay, Jackson promptly contacted her bank, and while she awaited assistance on hold, the bank's fraud department reached out to her regarding suspicious activity detected on her account.

She said, ‘They saw all the funds in my accounts transferred to (international currency transfer and payment company) Wise and were calling me to check if I had done the transfer.’




compressed-photo-1611746869696-d09bce200020.jpeg
It is crucial to stay vigilant and exercise caution when receiving text messages from unfamiliar sources to protect oneself from falling victim to these scams. Image by ademay from unsplash



‘The fraud agent told me that they had flagged the transaction as a possible fraud theft but that the bank had already let the transfer go through.’

Within minutes, the funds from Jackson's business account were swiftly depleted and transferred to a third-party company called Wise, formerly known as Transfer Wise.

Jackson conveyed her dissatisfaction with the bank for permitting the transaction to proceed initially.

Jackson shared, ‘I can’t understand how a major bank like BNZ and their fraud department can’t get through to a major international funds transfer company.’

Key Takeaways
  • A businesswoman named Savannah Jackson lost $42,000 after falling victim to a phishing scam.
  • A text message alerted her that a 'new device had been added to her account', which turned out to be a fraudulent claim.
  • She immediately contacted the bank about the suspicious activity but was informed that the fraudulent transaction had already gone through.
  • Jackson expressed disappointment that the bank allowed the transaction to go through.



So, how can we guard ourselves? Well, first and foremost, treat every unexpected mail, text, or call that involves financial transactions with suspicion.

Remember, even a seemingly harmless text like the one Savannah received can have disastrous consequences!

Members, have any of you encountered similar messages? Share your experiences and let us know how you stay vigilant against such scams.
 
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Yes I have. Recently I received an email, up the top where it tells you who it is from it had STORAGE. Said my storage was full & I could have an extra free 50gb if I wanted it as my storage was full. I rang APPLE they looked into it. It was a scam he showed me that I had plenty of storage & how to check who the email was actually from. Up the top it should have had the word APPLE no STORAGE! You have to be so careful these days. If you are not sure ring the person or company it is supposed to have come from! Also I received two messages recently about my parcel has been held up. I just delete them!
I get these too same storage stuff but purporting to be from Microsoft. Also a scam!
 
I have been receiving daily multiple emails supposedly from JB HiFi, Kogan, Bunnings etc etc, claiming I have won some fantastic prize. I don’t even read them, just see the word PRIZE and delete straight away. Scammers will try anything but they will be hard pressed to rip me off.
Yep I get these too, and also from similar outlets in the UK and USA! AS if............Delete, report as phishing and block.
 
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Reactions: Macarj
What is the point of a bank "Flagging" a transaction suspicious, if they are going to release the funds immediately anyway ? And given that once "Flagged" no preventative action was taken, they have the audacity to email the customer AFTER THE FACT to alert them that they think it might have been a scam.
I'm sorry, but I think the banks can do better. Shame on them.
That was my thought too. And the errant customer was on hold for assistance whilst the bank was telling her it looked fraudulent. Yes she pulled the trigger but the bank didn't help! She should have had a fighting chance of stopping the transaction but for the delays at the bank.
 
'Be Alert, Not Alarmed' is a mantra we know. This slogan doesn't just apply to pesky telemarketing or junk mail scams.

In this digital age, where convenience often beats caution, we need to protect ourselves against a rising tide of online criminals.



This brings us to the saga of Savannah Jackson, a businesswoman from Queenstown, New Zealand. She mentioned that she is typically ‘hyper-aware’ and exercises caution regarding texts from potential scammers.

But on June 22, Savannah was caught off-guard. A seemingly ordinary text message claimed her bank, Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), had authorised a new device for her account.


View attachment 24472
Scams through text messages have become increasingly prevalent, with fraudsters attempting to deceive unsuspecting individuals through schemes such as phishing, fake prizes, or urgent requests for personal information. Image by Pexels from pixabay



She said, ‘I am the only one that uses this account, so I stupidly clicked on the page, and as soon as I did it, I said “Oh f***”.’

Caught in a moment of weakness, Savannah clicked the embedded link, instantly punching a $42,000 hole in her savings.



‘Normally, I’m hyper-aware of these things, but I was busy at work and clicked on the link, it went to an official-looking BNZ bank page.’ Jackson said.

The horrifying truth is the speed of the theft; in less time than it takes for your coffee to cool, your life savings could evaporate.

As Savannah recounts, ‘It was $42,000. All the money for my GST, my staff wages to pay, my creditors, everything was gone within literally a couple of minutes.’

Without delay, Jackson promptly contacted her bank, and while she awaited assistance on hold, the bank's fraud department reached out to her regarding suspicious activity detected on her account.

She said, ‘They saw all the funds in my accounts transferred to (international currency transfer and payment company) Wise and were calling me to check if I had done the transfer.’




View attachment 24473
It is crucial to stay vigilant and exercise caution when receiving text messages from unfamiliar sources to protect oneself from falling victim to these scams. Image by ademay from unsplash



‘The fraud agent told me that they had flagged the transaction as a possible fraud theft but that the bank had already let the transfer go through.’

Within minutes, the funds from Jackson's business account were swiftly depleted and transferred to a third-party company called Wise, formerly known as Transfer Wise.

Jackson conveyed her dissatisfaction with the bank for permitting the transaction to proceed initially.

Jackson shared, ‘I can’t understand how a major bank like BNZ and their fraud department can’t get through to a major international funds transfer company.’

Key Takeaways

  • A businesswoman named Savannah Jackson lost $42,000 after falling victim to a phishing scam.
  • A text message alerted her that a 'new device had been added to her account', which turned out to be a fraudulent claim.
  • She immediately contacted the bank about the suspicious activity but was informed that the fraudulent transaction had already gone through.
  • Jackson expressed disappointment that the bank allowed the transaction to go through.



So, how can we guard ourselves? Well, first and foremost, treat every unexpected mail, text, or call that involves financial transactions with suspicion.

Remember, even a seemingly harmless text like the one Savannah received can have disastrous consequences!

Members, have any of you encountered similar messages? Share your experiences and let us know how you stay vigilant against such scams.
So the bank flagged it as suspicious, but let it go through anyway? What's the point of their flag?
 
'Be Alert, Not Alarmed' is a mantra we know. This slogan doesn't just apply to pesky telemarketing or junk mail scams.

In this digital age, where convenience often beats caution, we need to protect ourselves against a rising tide of online criminals.



This brings us to the saga of Savannah Jackson, a businesswoman from Queenstown, New Zealand. She mentioned that she is typically ‘hyper-aware’ and exercises caution regarding texts from potential scammers.

But on June 22, Savannah was caught off-guard. A seemingly ordinary text message claimed her bank, Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), had authorised a new device for her account.


View attachment 24472
Scams through text messages have become increasingly prevalent, with fraudsters attempting to deceive unsuspecting individuals through schemes such as phishing, fake prizes, or urgent requests for personal information. Image by Pexels from pixabay



She said, ‘I am the only one that uses this account, so I stupidly clicked on the page, and as soon as I did it, I said “Oh f***”.’

Caught in a moment of weakness, Savannah clicked the embedded link, instantly punching a $42,000 hole in her savings.



‘Normally, I’m hyper-aware of these things, but I was busy at work and clicked on the link, it went to an official-looking BNZ bank page.’ Jackson said.

The horrifying truth is the speed of the theft; in less time than it takes for your coffee to cool, your life savings could evaporate.

As Savannah recounts, ‘It was $42,000. All the money for my GST, my staff wages to pay, my creditors, everything was gone within literally a couple of minutes.’

Without delay, Jackson promptly contacted her bank, and while she awaited assistance on hold, the bank's fraud department reached out to her regarding suspicious activity detected on her account.

She said, ‘They saw all the funds in my accounts transferred to (international currency transfer and payment company) Wise and were calling me to check if I had done the transfer.’




View attachment 24473
It is crucial to stay vigilant and exercise caution when receiving text messages from unfamiliar sources to protect oneself from falling victim to these scams. Image by ademay from unsplash



‘The fraud agent told me that they had flagged the transaction as a possible fraud theft but that the bank had already let the transfer go through.’

Within minutes, the funds from Jackson's business account were swiftly depleted and transferred to a third-party company called Wise, formerly known as Transfer Wise.

Jackson conveyed her dissatisfaction with the bank for permitting the transaction to proceed initially.

Jackson shared, ‘I can’t understand how a major bank like BNZ and their fraud department can’t get through to a major international funds transfer company.’

Key Takeaways

  • A businesswoman named Savannah Jackson lost $42,000 after falling victim to a phishing scam.
  • A text message alerted her that a 'new device had been added to her account', which turned out to be a fraudulent claim.
  • She immediately contacted the bank about the suspicious activity but was informed that the fraudulent transaction had already gone through.
  • Jackson expressed disappointment that the bank allowed the transaction to go through.



So, how can we guard ourselves? Well, first and foremost, treat every unexpected mail, text, or call that involves financial transactions with suspicion.

Remember, even a seemingly harmless text like the one Savannah received can have disastrous consequences!

Members, have any of you encountered similar messages? Share your experiences and let us know how you stay vigilant against such scams.
As you said "treat every unexpected mail, text or call that involves financial transactions with suspicion"....I do that with "every thing "on my mobile phone or land line. Last night on the news for those who did not see it; Commonwealth Bank is now NOT putting any links in any text messages. They ask you to log into your account to see any messages from them. I hope all banks do the same now.
 
I had an email from Paypal advising $600 had been used to buy a gift card and if this wasn't me
phone this number. I knew that was a scam as i never have that much money in the account i use for on line shopping. I rang Paypal and they double checked for me and then gave me an email address to forward the scam e mail to.
 

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