We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that they will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

 

[rehandra]

We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

View attachment 10839

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that they will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

Honestly how many times do people have to be told. If someone cold calls you saying they are from your bank or some financial institution tell them you are going to hang up and you will call your bank or whatever direct yourself and do so immediately. Do not ring any number they give you. Look the number up yourself. I regard all cold calls regarding my finances as suspicious. You have to be alert and take responsibility for your actions.

 

[John.RS]

We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

View attachment 10839

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that they will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

 

[John.RS]

Did he have an English accent? I was almost caught out in a similar scheme, but did not lose any money. He was purporting to be from AMP Bank.

 

[Brian Clarke]

Honestly how many times do people have to be told. If someone cold calls you saying they are from your bank or some financial institution tell them you are going to hang up and you will call your bank or whatever direct yourself and do so immediately. Do not ring any number they give you. Look the number up yourself. I regard all cold calls regarding my finances as suspicious. You have to be alert and take responsibility for your actions.

I regard all calls other than from family or close friends as suspicious. In fact if I do not recognise a number I let it go to my answering service so I can vet them later or ignore them, usually cold callers do not leave a message.

 

[Jennylolo]

I played along once when the caller claimed he was from Comm. Bank and that someone in USA was attempting to withdraw some money. He didn't id himself or the branch office he was calling from. He didn't confirm any details with me including my name. He said you don't deal with USA at all do you. So I decided I would have some fun. I said never. After awhile I said interesting you haven't told me what account this is. He was quick in. saying "x", and I said I don't have such an account. He replied "yes you do." And I confirmed I don't. He didn't like that and said " It's your saving account". I said nice try mate, I don't have any account with them to which he promptly hung up as I said "reporting this number". I've never had a savings account with them.

 

[Ian Crane-Luff]

We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

View attachment 10839

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that it will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

Typical Suncorp, take no responsibility, they should have queried the transaction as any other bank would have done, scummiest bank ever

 

[Nana Zorak]

I very nearly was caught in a Cryptocurrency scam due to my wanting more than just my pension. Greed I realize now, but my bank was able to stop it. The Bank of Queensland is really on the ball. I have been with them since I became a pensioner 20 years now!

 

[Mikeyboy2012]

We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

View attachment 10839

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that they will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

My tip is always the same. If you receive any kind of unusual or suspicious message, don't respond. Go directly to the person, organisation, bank or whatever to confirm the message.

Most times the organisation, department, person, account etc. will have no knowledge of the message you've received.

Then block the number and report it.

 

[donellefeltham@ gmail.com]

We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

View attachment 10839

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that they will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

I’ve had more than one of these Exact Scum trying too get my details . I just told them my bank does not make calls like this to their customers and they hung up straight away. I don’t care if it is a legitimate call or email, I don’t trust anyone
who cold call or send me an email. I never open emails I don’t click on links that I don’t know and I block and report email’s that turn up unless I know the sender. I know it probably sounds a bit dramatic but I don’t trust any of them and the way these Scammers are multiplying, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Sunshine45]

I regard all calls other than from family or close friends as suspicious. In fact if I do not recognise a number I let it go to my answering service so I can vet them later or ignore them, usually cold callers do not leave a message.

Me too my phone only rings for 15 seconds (I have been unable to make it longer) so 8/10 I dont answer my phone so everyone I know or genuine callers leave a message and I call them back.

 

[GeminiGirl]

Suncorp have a big Scam warning to customers when you open up your online banking account. Don't people read these warnings!!! I feel very sorry for this lady ...these ratbags are destroying people's lives. But the Banks have a duty of care to enact far better security for our accounts that is for sure.

 

[Macarj]

Honestly how many times do people have to be told. If someone cold calls you saying they are from your bank or some financial institution tell them you are going to hang up and you will call your bank or whatever direct yourself and do so immediately. Do not ring any number they give you. Look the number up yourself. I regard all cold calls regarding my finances as suspicious. You have to be alert and take responsibility for your actions.

Never speak to a cold caller

 

[Gerada]

We've all heard the stories – some stranger than others – of people who've been scammed out of their hard-earned money.

However, this one Townsville mum's story is spine-chilling proof of why Australians should be vigilant of sophisticated scams, even from those who appear to be legitimate employees of trusted companies.

After nine long years of diligently saving every cent she could for a house deposit, mum-of-four Shannon Saunders was utterly devastated after a scam saw her lose $48,688.70 in just minutes.

This whole devastating experience started when Saunders received a phone call from someone who, at first, she thought was a legitimate bank employee.

The caller claimed to be part of a fraud department, informing Saunders that some suspicious events were occurring on her account.

To authenticate the call, the man sent Saunders a text message with a secure code, which had previously been featured in her Suncorp account messages.

View attachment 10839

Saunders claimed that she got calls and texts from a phone number that Suncorp had previously used to communicate actual security codes from the bank. Credit: Shutterstock.

Saunders initially took the man on the phone to be a member of the Suncorp staff, who informed her that three transactions on her account were being banned.

She recalled: 'I thought, "Okay this must be legit".'

'I proceeded to tell him a couple of times that I was concerned about the legitimacy of the call.'

'He reassured me that he was there to keep my money safe.'

'It was a 38-minute conversation that I had with this gentleman, it was not a quick conversation.'

'The whole time I said to him how sick I was feeling about my money not being secure.'

Thinking that the person on the phone must be real, and desperate to protect her account details, Saunders began to exchange information.

As it turns out, Shannon was speaking to a scammer, who further reassured her that to keep her money safe, a new account must be created.

'He said in the background he and a team member were working to create the new account (and) in the meantime, I was going to be sent a text message with secure account details that I needed to transfer the money into,' she continued.

The mum realised that it was all a scam when the call hung up after she transferred all of her money to a new 'secured' account. Credit: Pexels/Pixabay.

The man claimed that he was helping to do that and when the process was complete, she would be sent secure details to transfer the money into.

Unable to detect any red flags, a tearful Shannon agreed, and 38 minutes later, her account was empty.

'My account was left at zero balance...then the phone went dead,' she said with regret.

It was only then that Saunders realised she'd been scammed.

She shared: 'I immediately went into shock, my hands were shaking and I felt physically sick.'

Saunders then contacted Suncorp right away and was connected to a real employee.

'(They said) that this transfer had been flagged and I immediately just started screaming down the phone "stop, stop it now, it’s not a transaction that needs to go ahead".'

According to the employee, the funds had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account, and staff members were attempting to contact Commonwealth to freeze the account.

The money had been instantly transferred out of the new account, she was eventually informed.

While support from her family enabled Saunders to cover the lost funds and finalise the purchase of her house, she's now still left trying to recover from the psychological trauma of being robbed of a major life event.

The mum recalled: 'The day we had to transfer over the deposit for the house into our solicitor’s trust fund, I was physically sick.'

'I went into the branch to transfer it because I can’t log in to my phone banking. I can’t look at the transaction that’s happened.'

'Until I got the email notification from our solicitor that they’d received the funds the next day I didn’t sleep.'

'I feel so vulnerable and violated.'

ScamWatch claims to be aware of counterfeit calls and messages and warns locals against providing any personal information over the phone.

Suncorp Bank claims that they will never ask customers for passwords over the phone. They also explained that while they do their best to recover funds moved to other banks, it is not always viable.

Key Takeaways

• Townsville mum Shannon Saunders lost nearly $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be helping her save money.
• He requested she transfer her funds into a 'secure account', which turned out to be fake and resulted in her losing her house deposit.
• Scammers can appear as if they are calling from a legitimate company and it is important to be wary of large transfers requested and not to share any personal information over the phone.
• Suncorp Bank encourages customers to report their experiences to ScamWatch and Suncorp Bank is available to help with any further steps and advice that is needed.

We want to use this story to raise the red flags for all our members.

As much as you may trust a caller if they appear to be from a company you've previously had dealings with, it's important to always be vigilant.

Never send money, or provide any personal or financial information until two independent means have verified that the person on the other end is who they say they are.

If you ever doubt the legitimacy of a phone call or text, hang up and reach out to the company directly – don't trust the number they may provide.

We hope Shannon's story serves as a lesson, and that everybody keeps safe from these cunning, sophisticated scams.

How disgusted with these scammers. I was tricked into a similar scam with a 'caller' from Vodafone. They even sent me the SMS message to open the link to my Vodafone Account. My biggest mistake was giving then my account pin. Stupid me! Had to get a new account.And what's the use of informing Scamwatch, when they tell you they cannot retrieve stolen funds. You're on your own.

 

[Helenmac]

I never answer a phone number I don’t know.

 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

A very hard lesson learnt. I generally regard each phone call as suspicious unless proven otherwise but the second there is a delay from your first "hello" to theirs and you can hear other voices in the background, I hang up. Generally is a good indication of what is actually going on....go with your gut instincts ..

 

[MindyMac]

My home phone goes non-stop and I screen the calls. Some of the scammers leave really stupid messages and some have English & American accents. There is No Way I would just hand people my details. In fact everyone should keep these people in a long conversation and 'pretend' that they are slow and have medical problems and ask the person that called them (the scammer) to be patient ... they will be patient when they think that they may be going to get your money. Never hand over your bank account details and never make-up an account number as you may be handing over some innocent person's account. Try and keep them on the phone for 20-30 minutes, even longer if that's possible and then tell them that you will call them back, that you have to go shopping. That the police are knocking at your door. Or, simply hang up on them after all that time. You will fill up their day and help protect others.