Con artist flees with $337,000 from 88-year-old pensioner in fake police sting
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In an age where technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, it's a sad truth that the same technology has given rise to sophisticated scams that prey on the trust and goodwill of our senior community.
The Seniors Discount Club is here to shed light on a particularly cunning ruse that has swindled Australian pensioners out of a staggering $337,000 and arm you with the knowledge to protect your hard-earned savings.
The scam, which reads like a crime thriller plot, involved an English con artist who posed as a police officer and convinced an 88-year-old pensioner to withdraw $10,000 from her bank.
The scammer spun a tale of a 'covert' sting operation to catch 'crooked' bank staff allegedly circulating counterfeit currency.
The trusting pensioner, believing she was aiding the police, withdrew the funds from ASB's Westfield Albany branch in Auckland, New Zealand.
The elderly victim was cold-called and instructed to follow a script if questioned by bank staff.
She was told that plainclothes officers would be secretly watching her every move. The scammer even listened in on the transaction by phone to ensure everything went according to plan.
The woman, a loyal customer of the bank for 50 years, had no history of withdrawing such large sums, which should have been a red flag for the bank tellers.
After the money was withdrawn, the victim waited at home for a man who pretended to be a police courier, using a pre-arranged code word to collect the cash.
She believed the money would be used to investigate the fake banknotes and then returned to her account.
Instead, she became one of over 30 victims caught in a web of deceit across Auckland and Wellington.
Fortunately, in this case, the victim's loss was mitigated by the swift action of a pro bono lawyer who argued that the bank had failed in its duty of care.
‘She’s not sleeping at night, not eating, not trusting anyone and severely doubting her own judgment. It’s really f***** her up,’ the lawyer said.
Last month, he worked with the police. He wrote a letter to ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt, asserting that the bank had neglected its duty of care to a vulnerable customer by authorising the substantial cash withdrawal and was thus accountable for the loss.
‘This was a huge blow to my financial security and independence and a massive blow to my confidence,’ the letter wrote.
‘I rely on ASB, as the experts, to keep me safe from such scams, and I feel very let down by ASB in this case. I believe that ASB had an opportunity to identify the scam and to take steps to intervene, but failed to do so.’
ASB refunded the $10,000 within 24 hours after being contacted.
David Bullock, ASB's Executive General Manager of Technology and Operations, stated that the bank was unaware of the scam until Shortt received the letter.
The following day, a fraud investigator contacted the customer and arranged for the immediate return of the funds.
‘In this particular case, there was nothing for us to connect the transaction to any scam activity until the customer herself or the police notified us of it.’ Bullock stated.
‘We received very positive feedback on behalf of the customer about how this matter was managed by our team.’
The victim chose to stay anonymous but wanted to alert others about the scam and encourage everyone to stay vigilant.
The scammer, 26-year-old UK national Jack Dylan Hennessy, was eventually apprehended in Auckland following a foot chase.
Hennessy, who pleaded guilty to 27 charges connected to 15 victims, is believed to be part of a larger overseas criminal syndicate, possibly receiving a commission for his crimes before sending the bulk of the stolen funds offshore.
‘He’s just an employee and not the criminal mastermind.’ the lawyer claimed.
‘There’ll be others operating here in New Zealand.’
What sets this scam apart is its reliance on the victims' altruism and sense of community duty.
‘This relies purely on their altruism and community mindedness and wanting to do the right thing.’
He noted that the scammers seemed to possess ‘refined data’ that allowed them to efficiently target numerous victims quickly, achieving a notably high success rate.
In Hennessy’s case, they stole $337,700 from 15 different individuals within just ten days.
‘They’ve got their name and know addresses.’ the lawyer added.
‘They know [the victims] are worth having a go at because they’ve got some money,’
‘and they know they’re vulnerable and the right kind of people who might respond to a scam when there’s nothing in it for them.’
Police stated that Hennessy’s actions ‘betrayed the goodwill of vulnerable and elderly members of our community’.
‘Police will never contact you and ask you to withdraw money, nor will they contact you seeking banking details, card numbers, PIN or password.’ they said.
Have you ever come across a scam this complex? How did you protect yourself and your savings while addressing the issue? Share your experiences in the comments below.
The Seniors Discount Club is here to shed light on a particularly cunning ruse that has swindled Australian pensioners out of a staggering $337,000 and arm you with the knowledge to protect your hard-earned savings.
The scam, which reads like a crime thriller plot, involved an English con artist who posed as a police officer and convinced an 88-year-old pensioner to withdraw $10,000 from her bank.
The scammer spun a tale of a 'covert' sting operation to catch 'crooked' bank staff allegedly circulating counterfeit currency.
The trusting pensioner, believing she was aiding the police, withdrew the funds from ASB's Westfield Albany branch in Auckland, New Zealand.
An 88-year-old pensioner was tricked into withdrawing $10,000, believing it was a secret police operation to catch corrupt bank employees. Credit: Shutterstock
The elderly victim was cold-called and instructed to follow a script if questioned by bank staff.
She was told that plainclothes officers would be secretly watching her every move. The scammer even listened in on the transaction by phone to ensure everything went according to plan.
The woman, a loyal customer of the bank for 50 years, had no history of withdrawing such large sums, which should have been a red flag for the bank tellers.
After the money was withdrawn, the victim waited at home for a man who pretended to be a police courier, using a pre-arranged code word to collect the cash.
She believed the money would be used to investigate the fake banknotes and then returned to her account.
Instead, she became one of over 30 victims caught in a web of deceit across Auckland and Wellington.
Fortunately, in this case, the victim's loss was mitigated by the swift action of a pro bono lawyer who argued that the bank had failed in its duty of care.
‘She’s not sleeping at night, not eating, not trusting anyone and severely doubting her own judgment. It’s really f***** her up,’ the lawyer said.
Last month, he worked with the police. He wrote a letter to ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt, asserting that the bank had neglected its duty of care to a vulnerable customer by authorising the substantial cash withdrawal and was thus accountable for the loss.
‘This was a huge blow to my financial security and independence and a massive blow to my confidence,’ the letter wrote.
‘I rely on ASB, as the experts, to keep me safe from such scams, and I feel very let down by ASB in this case. I believe that ASB had an opportunity to identify the scam and to take steps to intervene, but failed to do so.’
ASB refunded the $10,000 within 24 hours after being contacted.
David Bullock, ASB's Executive General Manager of Technology and Operations, stated that the bank was unaware of the scam until Shortt received the letter.
The following day, a fraud investigator contacted the customer and arranged for the immediate return of the funds.
‘In this particular case, there was nothing for us to connect the transaction to any scam activity until the customer herself or the police notified us of it.’ Bullock stated.
‘We received very positive feedback on behalf of the customer about how this matter was managed by our team.’
The victim chose to stay anonymous but wanted to alert others about the scam and encourage everyone to stay vigilant.
The scammer, 26-year-old UK national Jack Dylan Hennessy, was eventually apprehended in Auckland following a foot chase.
Thanks to a pro bono lawyer, ASB refunded the elderly victim’s money, acknowledging their failure to prevent the scam. Credit: Shutterstock
Hennessy, who pleaded guilty to 27 charges connected to 15 victims, is believed to be part of a larger overseas criminal syndicate, possibly receiving a commission for his crimes before sending the bulk of the stolen funds offshore.
‘He’s just an employee and not the criminal mastermind.’ the lawyer claimed.
‘There’ll be others operating here in New Zealand.’
What sets this scam apart is its reliance on the victims' altruism and sense of community duty.
‘This relies purely on their altruism and community mindedness and wanting to do the right thing.’
He noted that the scammers seemed to possess ‘refined data’ that allowed them to efficiently target numerous victims quickly, achieving a notably high success rate.
In Hennessy’s case, they stole $337,700 from 15 different individuals within just ten days.
‘They’ve got their name and know addresses.’ the lawyer added.
‘They know [the victims] are worth having a go at because they’ve got some money,’
‘and they know they’re vulnerable and the right kind of people who might respond to a scam when there’s nothing in it for them.’
Police stated that Hennessy’s actions ‘betrayed the goodwill of vulnerable and elderly members of our community’.
‘Police will never contact you and ask you to withdraw money, nor will they contact you seeking banking details, card numbers, PIN or password.’ they said.
