How one small business owner was scammed while on holiday
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Contrary to popular beliefs, phone scam victims aren't always retirees or fresh-faced young adults getting their first paycheck.
Just ask Monique Svenson, a small business owner and mum of two, who found out the hard way that even someone like her can fall for a scam.
Yes, it can happen to anyone! So, be careful out there!
Ms Svenson is the daughter of a bookkeeper and scientist. She also works full-time for her own business, has staff, multiple bank accounts, a branch manager, and even invests in shares!
Despite her knowledge and experience in the banking world, she very nearly lost thousands of dollars when she was targeted while on a family holiday.
It started with a text message from her bank, or what she thought was her bank, saying there had been fraudulent activity on her account and asking her to call the number back immediately.
The message was part of the same thread as other messages from her bank, lulling her into a false sense of security.
This is a scamming tactic called 'spoofing' where scammers use a legitimate number that they are calling or texting on, making their communication appear to come from a legitimate source.
'He (the scammer) followed the normal thread of name, email address et cetera, so it feels very familiar. They've obviously looked at what the bank says and imitated it perfectly,' Ms Svenson explained.
Apparently, the scammer hit her up with a story that there was some device in Perth that was breaking into her account and the only way to stop it was to re-register her own device and deactivate the supposed 'fake' one.
Ms Svenson, who was on the road and losing signal, got a text from the scammer with a link to log into her bank account. Thinking it was her bank, she clicked the link and logged in, falling for the scam.
It all happened so quickly; the scammer had access to her bank account. They kept up the story of needing to remove a device and asked Ms Svenson to read out a verification code that was sent to her.
But she got suspicious when she realised the code was to confirm transferring all the money in her account, a large sum, to an unknown account. Ms Svenson also noticed the warning at the bottom of the text that said: 'Don't read this code out to anyone, not even us.'
And that's when she knew something was definitely off. Although she was out of mobile reception range, Ms Svenson stayed determined in her suspicions and quickly demanded that the scammer give her the bank's correct telephone number so she could call back and check with it herself.
When she called the bank, it was quickly confirmed that she had almost fallen for the scam. 'If I was at my desk, it probably would have raised a red flag earlier,' she admitted.
The scammer, who no doubt could feel their high-stakes scam falling apart, tried one last effort by threatening her that any money taken from her account would not be the bank's liability.
But Ms Svenson stayed strong and, fortunately, was able to hold on to all of her savings.
The mum-of-two was one of the luckier scam victims: phone-based scams are just one of the dozens of different scams that are targeting Australians right now.
At Seniors Discount Club, we understand how difficult it can be to spot a scammer. So we've put together a list of tips that every member should take on board - this way, you can protect yourself from potential heartbreak:
If you believe that you've been the victim of a scam, you can report it to Scamwatch, who may be able to help you receive justice.
Notable scam types in Australia are listed on their website, so it pays to familiarise yourself with them. Be sure to check out the Scam Watch forum on the SDC website as well.
Stay safe out there, everyone!
Just ask Monique Svenson, a small business owner and mum of two, who found out the hard way that even someone like her can fall for a scam.
Yes, it can happen to anyone! So, be careful out there!
Ms Svenson is the daughter of a bookkeeper and scientist. She also works full-time for her own business, has staff, multiple bank accounts, a branch manager, and even invests in shares!
Despite her knowledge and experience in the banking world, she very nearly lost thousands of dollars when she was targeted while on a family holiday.
One mum almost lost thousands of dollars from a text message scam she received while on holiday. Credit: Pexels/Marcus Aurelius.
It started with a text message from her bank, or what she thought was her bank, saying there had been fraudulent activity on her account and asking her to call the number back immediately.
The message was part of the same thread as other messages from her bank, lulling her into a false sense of security.
This is a scamming tactic called 'spoofing' where scammers use a legitimate number that they are calling or texting on, making their communication appear to come from a legitimate source.
'He (the scammer) followed the normal thread of name, email address et cetera, so it feels very familiar. They've obviously looked at what the bank says and imitated it perfectly,' Ms Svenson explained.
Due to having poor reception, Ms Svenson couldn't really verify the messages she was receiving. Credit: Pexels/Karolina Grabowska.
Apparently, the scammer hit her up with a story that there was some device in Perth that was breaking into her account and the only way to stop it was to re-register her own device and deactivate the supposed 'fake' one.
Ms Svenson, who was on the road and losing signal, got a text from the scammer with a link to log into her bank account. Thinking it was her bank, she clicked the link and logged in, falling for the scam.
It all happened so quickly; the scammer had access to her bank account. They kept up the story of needing to remove a device and asked Ms Svenson to read out a verification code that was sent to her.
But she got suspicious when she realised the code was to confirm transferring all the money in her account, a large sum, to an unknown account. Ms Svenson also noticed the warning at the bottom of the text that said: 'Don't read this code out to anyone, not even us.'
And that's when she knew something was definitely off. Although she was out of mobile reception range, Ms Svenson stayed determined in her suspicions and quickly demanded that the scammer give her the bank's correct telephone number so she could call back and check with it herself.
When she called the bank, it was quickly confirmed that she had almost fallen for the scam. 'If I was at my desk, it probably would have raised a red flag earlier,' she admitted.
The scammer, who no doubt could feel their high-stakes scam falling apart, tried one last effort by threatening her that any money taken from her account would not be the bank's liability.
But Ms Svenson stayed strong and, fortunately, was able to hold on to all of her savings.
The mum-of-two was one of the luckier scam victims: phone-based scams are just one of the dozens of different scams that are targeting Australians right now.
- Don't answer if you don't know who it is. Let the call go to voicemail first. If the caller leaves a number, make sure it matches the one on their website before you call back.
- Don't reply or click on any links in text messages.
- Don't ever send money online - unless you're REALLY sure of the recipient's identity.
- Don't ever tell anyone your personal details (passwords or other sensitive information).
- Don't ever let someone take control of your computer.
It's important to know the warning signs of a scam so you can spot it before it's too late. Credit: Pexels/Leeloo Thefirst.
If you believe that you've been the victim of a scam, you can report it to Scamwatch, who may be able to help you receive justice.
Notable scam types in Australia are listed on their website, so it pays to familiarise yourself with them. Be sure to check out the Scam Watch forum on the SDC website as well.
Stay safe out there, everyone!
