S
Sean Camara
Guest
Elderly couple shares experience of how they lost $5000 after falling victim to a new elaborate scam
An elderly couple has shared their experience falling into a new elaborate scam that caused them to shell out $5000.
Catherine and her husband Peter shared that they received a phone call from a man who introduced himself as a National Broadband Network (NBN) employee.
Little did they know, it was the beginning of a seven-hour ordeal that would scam them out of thousands of dollars.
Peter said: "It's very embarrassing, particularly when you normally pick these things and this was such a bizarre kind of experience."
The couple, who are in their 70s, said that the man claimed that there were NBN engineers in the area after a virus was detected on both their home laptop and Catherine's mobile phone.
"He said there was an engineer on his way, he was just up the road. He has been held up, but would be there soon," Peter recalled.
"He talked quite a bit about the NBN office in Mount Street, North Sydney and how they worked out of there."
"There was that sort of chat, it seemed to make it more convincing."
An elderly couple shared how they got scammed out of $5000 after falling victim to a new elaborate scam. Credit: Nine.
At the time the first series of calls came through, Peter was out of the house.
Not knowing what to do at the time, Catherine said that the man convinced her to download a free remote access software called TeamViewer onto the laptop.
Peter said that the man kept calling their number over the next few hours before hanging up.
When the call ended, Catherine felt uneasy about the software, prompting her to delete it.
Peter shared: "She got rid of it but the same fellow called back again."
The elderly man said that the trickster asked him to re-download the same application onto his phone.
Peter said that he was reluctant at first so he searched online to see if the app was legitimate.
After visiting a website that proved the legitimacy of TeamViewer, Peter downloaded the app. As an aside, readers, please note that just because an app might be ‘legitimate’ for certain things, don’t assume it can’t be used for nefarious purposes as well.
Peter quipped that the man spent "several more hours" on the phone, instructing Peter on the next steps as he "troubleshooted" various issues.
"We were thinking it must be fair dinkum, otherwise why would he have been spending so much time on this," he said.
The trickster posed as an employee of NBN. Credit: Will Willitts.
After a lengthy chat, the man finally announced that he found the viruses. However, he claimed that "the lines" needed repairing.
Peter added: "This sounds so stupid now, telling it later."
"We were told there was going to be radiation in the computer."
"They said, 'We want you to move away from there into another room. Just turn on your TV set and tell us if you see any red or blue spots over the screen.'"
"So off we went and did that."
The couple said that they were instructed not to check their laptop or mobile phone until the man them again.
However, Peter could not resist the urge to check his email the following morning.
It was then that he discovered multiple emails from the Commonwealth Bank alerting them to the possible fraudulent activity relating to their account.
The scammer had managed to access the couple's bank account online, changing their withdrawal limit from $2,000 to $20,000. Two transactions had gone through, one to withdraw $45 and another to withdraw $5000. A third transaction, of $15,000, was stopped by the bank.
The Commonwealth Bank informed Peter of the suspicious transactions, saying that they managed to refund the first two transactions after staff members traced the recipient of the funds.
A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson said that while he could not give comments on individual cases for privacy reasons, he shared: "We are always very concerned when we are made aware of frauds and scams affecting customers and the wider community."
"Where a customer has been scammed we will work tirelessly with the relevant parties to attempt to recover any remaining funds for them."
Peter said that the incident has caused tremendous stress for him and Catherine.
He claimed: "There is a feeling of violation. I know we both felt like the stuffing had been absolutely knocked out of us."
As more and more people become increasingly reliant on technology, scammers are finding new ways to take advantage of them. One of the latest scams involves the use of the software TeamViewer to gain remote access to victims' computers.
NSW Police issued a warning about this type of scam back in 2019, but it appears that they are becoming more and more common. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch, $8.6 million has been lost to remote access crimes so far this year. This is a dramatic increase from the $4.8 million that was lost in 2019.
Scammers are becoming more sophisticated in their methods, and it is important for everyone to be aware of the dangers. If you are ever asked to download TeamViewer or any other type of remote access software, be sure to verify the request with the person or company before proceeding
TeamViewer's official website also stated that the company is aware of the circumstances where scammers have used the software to gain access to victim's devices.
The company's statement read: "We advise TeamViewer users to be careful with unsolicited phone calls and to not grant access to your devices (e.g. PC or mobile) to anyone you do not know or trust."
So, how can we avoid these schemes?
Below are some of the tips Scamwatch shared to avoid falling victim to remote access scams:
- Do not open suspicious texts, pop-up windows or click on links or attachments in emails – delete them: If unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as a phone book or online search. Don't use the contact details provided in the message sent to you.
- Don't respond to phone calls about your computer asking for remote access – hang up – even if they mention a well-known company such as Telstra. Scammers will often ask you to turn on your computer to fix a problem or install a free upgrade, which is actually a virus that will give them your passwords and personal details.
- Keep your mobile devices and computers secure. Always use password protection, don't share access with others (including remotely), update security software and back up content. Protect your WiFi network with a password and avoid using public computers or WiFi hotspots to access online banking or provide personal information.
- Choose your passwords carefully. Choose passwords that would be difficult for others to guess and update them regularly. A strong password should include a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Don't use the same password for every account/profile, and don't share your passwords with anyone.
- Be wary of unusual payment requests. Scammers will often ask you to use an unusual payment method, including preloaded debit cards, gift cards, iTunes cards or virtual currency such as Bitcoin.
Source: Scamwatch
Be careful out there, folks! Have you encountered similar experiences? Share your stories with us in the comments below!
.png){kind=icon}
