[Suzanne rose]

Couple lose $40,000 in new scam​

Couple loses almost $40,000 after falling victim to real estate scam​

By Marina Trajkovich
11:56pm Aug 24, 2022

WATCH AND READ

Family scammed out of almost $40,000 while purchasing home​

Play Video
Family scammed out of almost $40,000 while purchasing home
1 / 22
><
A Queensland family has lost their life savings after falling victim to an email scam targeting businesses and home buyers.
Mitch Wilson and Penny Davies thought they were settling their dream home on the Gold Coast ahead of the birth of their second child, but instead lost tens of thousands of dollars to scammers.
"We got an email from the real estate agent we had been dealing with from their email account saying in light of the contract please pay money to this account," Wilson said.

READ MORE: Aussie construction giant collapses, hundreds of homes left unfinished

Wilson and Davies say they're devastated after losing tens of thousands of dollars in an email scam. (Nine)
The couple transferred $39,000 to the supplied bank account.
But days later, their agency contacted them saying they hadn't received the money.
"We went back and forth, we exchanged screenshots and emails from their side and ours, and what was obvious is the money didn't go where it was supposed to go which was their account," Wilson said.


Doctors Baffled: New Pillow Takes Sydney By StormSPONSORED | Sleep Better Now

"(It) ended up in some fraudster's account and then offshore to a crypto account."
Davies said she's devastated that years of savings were lost within seconds.
"It plays over and over in my head all of the time," she said.
Wilson and Davies are the latest victims of what police are calling an email compromise scam.
Hackers are believed to be targeting businesses, like real estate agencies, and secretly taking control of their email accounts.