Foreign call centre raided over links to multi-billion dollar scams targeting Australian seniors
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On a Friday morning, authorities barged in on dozens of ‘call centre workers’ on the phone with Australians. Inside the call centre, which is located on the outskirts of Metro Manila, Philippines, staff were seated close together in rows.
While the scene may appear harmless at first glance, the call centre is allegedly linked to elaborate multi-billion dollar scams that targets Australians’ retirement funds.
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group raided the call centre.
Equipped with headsets, they were reading from detailed scripts that helped them gather sensitive information about the lifestyles, spending patterns, and interests of unsuspecting people investing thousands of kilometres away.
Victims claimed that ‘cloning’ and other deceitful tactics made the scam seem convincing, adding how they thought it was a genuine financial advice firm that was based in Australia.
The scam has prompted multiple ongoing investigations to occur, with corporate watchdog ASIC confirming ‘some are at an advanced stage’.
The ‘call centre workers’ were raided. Source: ABC
There to witness the raid was Australian cyber-crime investigator Ken Gamble. He travelled to Manila on behalf of several Australian victims that hired him to get to the bottom of the heartless tactics.
‘We're alleging that this operation is part of a big scam. They are stealing the superannuation off Australian victims.’ Mr Gamble explained.
‘We've come here today to observe the anti-cybercrime group conducting a lawful search warrant on the premises.’
As the armed officers forcefully burst into the establishment, they instructed the workers to put their hands up.
Mr Gamble then begins speaking to staff, who immediately divulged what they were doing.
One of the employees divulged what they were doing. Source: ABC News
According to Mr Gamble, the workers were pretending to be calling from Australia.
‘They were purporting to be from Melbourne, we saw scripts up on the screen.’ he said.
‘I was able to talk to one of the agents and he took me right through the script – from the start to the end. He explained to me the process including how they talk to Australians and how they get them to give information up about their superannuation.’
Some Australian victims claimed to have lost $3.3 million in two scams allegedly linked to the call centre in question.
Mr Gamble said that the call centre is the starting point and the information gathered here is passed on to another group. After that, the Australians will then be contacted by a group of westerners disguised as financial planners.
‘They have intricate knowledge of how self-managed super funds are set up and they've had a lot of experience in scamming people in this particular area.’ Mr Gamble said. ‘So they become very, very good at it and they're able to put all the bells and whistles onto the scam to make it look legitimate.’
The story of Rob
In May 2021, Queensland builder Rob received a phone call from a number with a New South Wales area code. When he picked it up, an Australian man was on the other end, claiming to be from a company called Australian Securities Administration Limited (ASAL) Group.
‘He sounded Aussie to me.’ Rob recalled.
Rob had extensive dealings with the ‘Australian’ and another man who had extensive knowledge about the superannuation industry.
‘There were two guys. I was dealing with Justin – and Justin was basically talking us into it. Michael was the financial guy.’
Rob detailed that the two men gave an impressive pitch about using a self-managed super fund. Rob already had a self-managed super fund and was looking for better returns.
The men claimed they used a high-performing product with US multinational Morgan Stanley.
‘It looked fairly interesting. He let me sit on it for a couple of days, so there was never any pressure about it.’ he continued.
Rob fell victim to the scam allegedly linked to the call centre. Source: ABC News
Over the next five days, Rob looked up the key details like the Australian Business Number (ABN) and Australian Financial Services (AFS) licence to confirm whether the ASAL Group was a scam.
He decided to transfer nearly $200,000 to ASAL Group.
‘When I actually got the bank account details, which we had to transfer the money into, I thought it was an Australian bank, ANZ. It can't be a scam.’ Rob said.
‘They actually supplied me with an app where you can see everything that was going on. It showed me what the money was doing.’
Six weeks later, Rob's blood ran cold when he was told by his daughter Rebecca that he might have been scammed.
‘I felt a bit sick, to be honest. I couldn't believe it.’ he said.
Rebecca Wade had also been considering using ASAL Group and had provided some personal details, but decided against the offer.
‘I had a call from AMP… They had received a form to roll over my super fund.’ she said.
‘I thought, “Oh, I'm pretty sure that I haven't done that but, let me just double check”. I physically felt ill, just knowing that you know, my super fund luckily had been stopped… But my parents' entire super fund had been taken.’
‘This is probably the first time I've felt so down. Nobody wants to help, nobody is taking any sort of accountability.’ she continued.
Rebecca has been helping her father contact financial institutions, law enforcement, and government agencies after the ordeal.
The story of Louie
Louie’s retirement plans were also ruined after he lost several hundred thousand dollars to the scam. He said he has had ‘many a sleepless night’ over the incident.
‘I thought I had my retirement mapped out pretty well.’ he said. ‘Some people could say it was my fault. I openly sent that money.’
‘But I was obviously scammed and I was scammed by some very, very, very clever people that have a lot of resources behind them.’
Louie also fell victim to the elaborate scam. Source: ABC News
Louie transferred money into the same ANZ account that Rob Wade used. He insists that the bank owes him and other victims an explanation.
He added that a detective with Victoria Police informed him the money was quickly moved.
‘He informed me that the funds within the ANZ account had all been sent overseas, either overseas or in crypto. It happened within 24 hours.’ he explained.
‘Ideally, ANZ would be able to refund me everything I've put in there because as far as I'm concerned, ANZ dropped the ball.’
How the intricate scam works
ASAL Group used a flashy website, which has been shut down since, to convince victims to part with their superannuation.
ASAL Group's company name was ‘cloned’, with real details taken from a business owned by AMP.
The website, which AMP confirmed was a fake, claimed that ASAL Group has been offering ‘expert financial advice to Australians since 1985 with decades-long success’ and had a core team of 60 people.
AMP warned the public within 24 hours after the fake site was identified in June last year, a spokesperson for the company said. But despite the alert, it was simply too late for some.
‘They will just clone the name and the credentials to set up a website and make it look just like the real one.’ Mr Gamble said.
‘Then, they’ll tell the victim to go ahead and check them out.’
Part of the pitch was using a self-managed super fund to invest in high-performing funds, including a product with Morgan Stanley. More information about the product was displayed on the ASAL Group website.
‘Morgan Stanley has not authorised Australian Securities Administration Limited to promote and sell such funds to customers.’ a spokesperson clarified.
The investigation in Metro Manila continues
After the call centre raid, The Philippine police also raided the home of a British man who was allegedly involved in running the scam. Authorities are still investigating whether he was also involved in the scams targeting Australians.
As of yet, no charges have been made against him and the 30 employees in the call centre as authorities continue to analyse the contents of the seized computers.
‘If he's charged with cyber fraud-related offences, which we hope he will be depending on the evidence, once the forensic examination is completed, we hope to find evidence that may implicate him in our clients' frauds.’ Mr Gamble said.
‘Those offences carry between six to 12 years in prison.’
The call centre that was raided. Source: ABC News
Lieutenant Colonel Jay Guillermo, the officer in charge of the Philippine National Police Cyber Response Unit, stated that the call centres operating the scams could ‘destroy the image of the Philippines’.
‘The good thing about this case is there is a complainant.’ he said.
‘We are receiving reports that there are a lot of cases involving investment scams in the Philippines, but it is very hard for us to investigate if there are no complainants, especially coming from foreign countries.’
‘If there are no victims we cannot investigate it.’
An AMP spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry to hear about the experience of people who fell victim to this scam.’
‘Of the five AMP customers that fell victim to the scam, AMP was able to recover or reimburse funds for all but one.’ they continued.
The authorities are currently investigating the matter. Source: news.com.au
‘In instances where people are concerned they may have been scammed, it is critical to contact their financial institution as quickly as possible to increase the chances of funds being recovered.’
An Australian Federal Police spokesperson said that they searched three locations in Melbourne back in August 2021 concerning ASIC's investigation.
The spokesperson revealed that several ‘items were seized during the searches’ and the investigation ‘remains with ASIC’.
ASIC's deputy chair Sarah Court confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
‘These matters are a powerful reminder that Australians need to treat contacts by any third parties related to investments with caution.’ she warned.
‘Financial scams are becoming more frequent and increasingly sophisticated with the use of company impersonation and leverage of access to some personal details to gain trust — all of which contribute to enhancing the appearance of legitimacy.’
What are your thoughts about this cruel scam? Have you ever encountered a tactic similar to this? Let us know in the comments!
While the scene may appear harmless at first glance, the call centre is allegedly linked to elaborate multi-billion dollar scams that targets Australians’ retirement funds.
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group raided the call centre.
Equipped with headsets, they were reading from detailed scripts that helped them gather sensitive information about the lifestyles, spending patterns, and interests of unsuspecting people investing thousands of kilometres away.
Victims claimed that ‘cloning’ and other deceitful tactics made the scam seem convincing, adding how they thought it was a genuine financial advice firm that was based in Australia.
The scam has prompted multiple ongoing investigations to occur, with corporate watchdog ASIC confirming ‘some are at an advanced stage’.
The ‘call centre workers’ were raided. Source: ABC
There to witness the raid was Australian cyber-crime investigator Ken Gamble. He travelled to Manila on behalf of several Australian victims that hired him to get to the bottom of the heartless tactics.
‘We're alleging that this operation is part of a big scam. They are stealing the superannuation off Australian victims.’ Mr Gamble explained.
‘We've come here today to observe the anti-cybercrime group conducting a lawful search warrant on the premises.’
As the armed officers forcefully burst into the establishment, they instructed the workers to put their hands up.
Mr Gamble then begins speaking to staff, who immediately divulged what they were doing.
One of the employees divulged what they were doing. Source: ABC News
According to Mr Gamble, the workers were pretending to be calling from Australia.
‘They were purporting to be from Melbourne, we saw scripts up on the screen.’ he said.
‘I was able to talk to one of the agents and he took me right through the script – from the start to the end. He explained to me the process including how they talk to Australians and how they get them to give information up about their superannuation.’
Some Australian victims claimed to have lost $3.3 million in two scams allegedly linked to the call centre in question.
Mr Gamble said that the call centre is the starting point and the information gathered here is passed on to another group. After that, the Australians will then be contacted by a group of westerners disguised as financial planners.
‘They have intricate knowledge of how self-managed super funds are set up and they've had a lot of experience in scamming people in this particular area.’ Mr Gamble said. ‘So they become very, very good at it and they're able to put all the bells and whistles onto the scam to make it look legitimate.’
The story of Rob
In May 2021, Queensland builder Rob received a phone call from a number with a New South Wales area code. When he picked it up, an Australian man was on the other end, claiming to be from a company called Australian Securities Administration Limited (ASAL) Group.
‘He sounded Aussie to me.’ Rob recalled.
Rob had extensive dealings with the ‘Australian’ and another man who had extensive knowledge about the superannuation industry.
‘There were two guys. I was dealing with Justin – and Justin was basically talking us into it. Michael was the financial guy.’
Rob detailed that the two men gave an impressive pitch about using a self-managed super fund. Rob already had a self-managed super fund and was looking for better returns.
The men claimed they used a high-performing product with US multinational Morgan Stanley.
‘It looked fairly interesting. He let me sit on it for a couple of days, so there was never any pressure about it.’ he continued.
Rob fell victim to the scam allegedly linked to the call centre. Source: ABC News
Over the next five days, Rob looked up the key details like the Australian Business Number (ABN) and Australian Financial Services (AFS) licence to confirm whether the ASAL Group was a scam.
He decided to transfer nearly $200,000 to ASAL Group.
‘When I actually got the bank account details, which we had to transfer the money into, I thought it was an Australian bank, ANZ. It can't be a scam.’ Rob said.
‘They actually supplied me with an app where you can see everything that was going on. It showed me what the money was doing.’
Six weeks later, Rob's blood ran cold when he was told by his daughter Rebecca that he might have been scammed.
‘I felt a bit sick, to be honest. I couldn't believe it.’ he said.
Rebecca Wade had also been considering using ASAL Group and had provided some personal details, but decided against the offer.
‘I had a call from AMP… They had received a form to roll over my super fund.’ she said.
‘I thought, “Oh, I'm pretty sure that I haven't done that but, let me just double check”. I physically felt ill, just knowing that you know, my super fund luckily had been stopped… But my parents' entire super fund had been taken.’
‘This is probably the first time I've felt so down. Nobody wants to help, nobody is taking any sort of accountability.’ she continued.
Rebecca has been helping her father contact financial institutions, law enforcement, and government agencies after the ordeal.
The story of Louie
Louie’s retirement plans were also ruined after he lost several hundred thousand dollars to the scam. He said he has had ‘many a sleepless night’ over the incident.
‘I thought I had my retirement mapped out pretty well.’ he said. ‘Some people could say it was my fault. I openly sent that money.’
‘But I was obviously scammed and I was scammed by some very, very, very clever people that have a lot of resources behind them.’
Louie also fell victim to the elaborate scam. Source: ABC News
Louie transferred money into the same ANZ account that Rob Wade used. He insists that the bank owes him and other victims an explanation.
He added that a detective with Victoria Police informed him the money was quickly moved.
‘He informed me that the funds within the ANZ account had all been sent overseas, either overseas or in crypto. It happened within 24 hours.’ he explained.
‘Ideally, ANZ would be able to refund me everything I've put in there because as far as I'm concerned, ANZ dropped the ball.’
How the intricate scam works
ASAL Group used a flashy website, which has been shut down since, to convince victims to part with their superannuation.
ASAL Group's company name was ‘cloned’, with real details taken from a business owned by AMP.
The website, which AMP confirmed was a fake, claimed that ASAL Group has been offering ‘expert financial advice to Australians since 1985 with decades-long success’ and had a core team of 60 people.
AMP warned the public within 24 hours after the fake site was identified in June last year, a spokesperson for the company said. But despite the alert, it was simply too late for some.
‘They will just clone the name and the credentials to set up a website and make it look just like the real one.’ Mr Gamble said.
‘Then, they’ll tell the victim to go ahead and check them out.’
Part of the pitch was using a self-managed super fund to invest in high-performing funds, including a product with Morgan Stanley. More information about the product was displayed on the ASAL Group website.
‘Morgan Stanley has not authorised Australian Securities Administration Limited to promote and sell such funds to customers.’ a spokesperson clarified.
The investigation in Metro Manila continues
After the call centre raid, The Philippine police also raided the home of a British man who was allegedly involved in running the scam. Authorities are still investigating whether he was also involved in the scams targeting Australians.
As of yet, no charges have been made against him and the 30 employees in the call centre as authorities continue to analyse the contents of the seized computers.
‘If he's charged with cyber fraud-related offences, which we hope he will be depending on the evidence, once the forensic examination is completed, we hope to find evidence that may implicate him in our clients' frauds.’ Mr Gamble said.
‘Those offences carry between six to 12 years in prison.’
The call centre that was raided. Source: ABC News
Lieutenant Colonel Jay Guillermo, the officer in charge of the Philippine National Police Cyber Response Unit, stated that the call centres operating the scams could ‘destroy the image of the Philippines’.
‘The good thing about this case is there is a complainant.’ he said.
‘We are receiving reports that there are a lot of cases involving investment scams in the Philippines, but it is very hard for us to investigate if there are no complainants, especially coming from foreign countries.’
‘If there are no victims we cannot investigate it.’
An AMP spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry to hear about the experience of people who fell victim to this scam.’
‘Of the five AMP customers that fell victim to the scam, AMP was able to recover or reimburse funds for all but one.’ they continued.
The authorities are currently investigating the matter. Source: news.com.au
‘In instances where people are concerned they may have been scammed, it is critical to contact their financial institution as quickly as possible to increase the chances of funds being recovered.’
An Australian Federal Police spokesperson said that they searched three locations in Melbourne back in August 2021 concerning ASIC's investigation.
The spokesperson revealed that several ‘items were seized during the searches’ and the investigation ‘remains with ASIC’.
ASIC's deputy chair Sarah Court confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
‘These matters are a powerful reminder that Australians need to treat contacts by any third parties related to investments with caution.’ she warned.
‘Financial scams are becoming more frequent and increasingly sophisticated with the use of company impersonation and leverage of access to some personal details to gain trust — all of which contribute to enhancing the appearance of legitimacy.’
What are your thoughts about this cruel scam? Have you ever encountered a tactic similar to this? Let us know in the comments!
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