The modern world has given us so many conveniences, but there's a darker side as well – scammers continue to devise new and cunning ways to prey on innocent people, often stealing significant amounts of money in the process.

We at the Seniors Discount Club want all our members to stay informed about these scams and how to avoid them so that you can protect your hard-earned life savings.

A recent case has come to light in Sydney, where an unsuspecting family fell victim to a clever and sinister scam that cost them their entire life savings – a staggering $200,000.

The couple, Peter and Madison (names changed for privacy), are left unable to afford groceries and are now discussing the possibility of selling their home and moving in with their family to make ends meet.

A Sydney family fell victim to a scam and lost $200,000 of their life savings. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Ware.

It was a seemingly harmless text message from what appeared to be Madison's trusted bank, Suncorp. The message alerted her to a suspicious transaction on her account and provided a phone number to contact the bank's fraud department.

The message read: ‘Did you try to set up a new outgoing transfer via PayID for $895.37 to Mr F Wilson? If NOT, please contact our fraud…’

But little did she know that she was about to fall victim to a treacherous scheme.

In a chilling turn of events, Madison found herself caught in the web of scammers. Unaware of their malicious intent, she diligently answered a series of security questions, further adding to the scam's façade of authenticity.

The scammers convinced her that her bank account had been hacked and that her hard-earned savings were at risk.

The scam involved 'spoofing', where hackers use a legitimate phone number to make communications appear genuine. Credit: Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya.

Playing on her fears, the scammers spun a tale of a security breach that could result in a fake passport being created or someone wiping out her funds by walking into a bank branch. To protect herself, Madison was coerced into transferring her savings to a newly created bank account.

The scammers even manipulated her into increasing her transfer limit from $5000 to $50,000, increasing the stakes of the deceitful scheme.

Madison's guard was down as the text message from the scammers appeared in the same thread as her previous conversations with the bank.

This deceptive tactic lulled her into a false sense of security, leading her to believe that the message was genuine. Little did she know that she was about to be duped by a scam that is becoming all too common in today's digital landscape.

The scammers employed a sinister technique called 'spoofing', making it seem like Madison was receiving authentic communication from the bank's number.

This insidious tactic is increasingly being used by scammers to deceive unsuspecting victims, exploiting their trust in legitimate institutions.

​

In a relentless five-day ordeal, the scammers coerced Madison into transferring just under $50,000 each day while bombarding her with follow-up text messages in the same thread. The cunning scammers were able to syphon off almost $250,000 from the couple's account before Suncorp finally froze it.

The shock and disbelief were palpable when Madison reached out to the bank directly, only to be informed that she had fallen victim to a scam. Her ‘jaw dropped’ as she learned that the money had been transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account, leaving her and her partner devastated.

As the couple anxiously awaited more information from Suncorp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The staggering amount of money that had been lost, the betrayal of trust, and the sheer audacity of the scammers' actions left them reeling, realising the dire consequences of falling prey to such a sophisticated scam…

The loss of their life savings took a toll on Madison’s mental health. Credit: Unsplash/Claudia Wolff.

The situation for the couple went from bad to worse as Suncorp argued that it was not responsible for the money lost, despite informing them they had been scammed within four hours of the incident.

The couple was left devastated, facing the harsh reality of a $200,000 loss.

Adding insult to injury, the couple learned a shocking piece of information during their scam investigation that turned their despair into rage.

They discovered that Commonwealth Bank had flagged their first transfer of almost $50,000 as unusual activity and had alerted Suncorp that it could be a scam. However, the alert only resulted in the first transfer being frozen, and the remaining $150,000 was still allowed to be transferred to the scammer's account without their knowledge.

Commonwealth Bank was only able to recover $42,796 from the total loss, leaving the couple with a substantial financial burden.

​

Feeling betrayed and let down by the very institutions they trusted to protect their money, the couple slammed the banks for lack of accountability and for shifting the blame onto them despite the warning systems reportedly being ignored.

Determined to seek justice and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, the couple is considering launching a class action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank.

They have also identified five other families who bank with Suncorp and were impacted by similar scams in Queensland and Victoria, further fueling their resolve to take legal action.

‘I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing we are going through; it’s heart-wrenching,’ said Peter.

Key Takeaways

• A couple fell victim to a sophisticated scam where scammers posed as their bank, Suncorp, and convinced them to transfer almost $250,000 of their life savings into a hacker-controlled account over the course of five days.
• Despite Commonwealth Bank flagging the first transfer as potentially suspicious, Suncorp failed to inform the couple, leading to the subsequent transfers and a devastating financial loss.
• The couple is now considering legal action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank, as they believe the banks failed to take accountability for the scam and ignored warning systems while also aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar hardships.

In today's digital age, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and can have devastating consequences for unsuspecting individuals like Madison and Peter. As we rely more on online transactions and communication with financial institutions, it's crucial to stay vigilant and cautious.

We hope you found this story eye-opening! Could you imagine falling victim to a scam and losing your entire life savings? How would you feel if your bank failed to notify you of suspicious activity? Members, please let us know what you think in the comments section below!

 

[Catherines]

The modern world has given us so many conveniences, but there's a darker side as well – scammers continue to devise new and cunning ways to prey on innocent people, often stealing significant amounts of money in the process.

We at the Seniors Discount Club want all our members to stay informed about these scams and how to avoid them so that you can protect your hard-earned life savings.

A recent case has come to light in Sydney, where an unsuspecting family fell victim to a clever and sinister scam that cost them their entire life savings – a staggering $200,000.

The couple, Peter and Madison (names changed for privacy), are left unable to afford groceries and are now discussing the possibility of selling their home and moving in with their family to make ends meet.

View attachment 17266

A Sydney family fell victim to a scam and lost $200,000 of their life savings. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Ware.

It was a seemingly harmless text message from what appeared to be Madison's trusted bank, Suncorp. The message alerted her to a suspicious transaction on her account and provided a phone number to contact the bank's fraud department.

The message read: ‘Did you try to set up a new outgoing transfer via PayID for $895.37 to Mr F Wilson? If NOT, please contact our fraud…’

But little did she know that she was about to fall victim to a treacherous scheme.

In a chilling turn of events, Madison found herself caught in the web of scammers. Unaware of their malicious intent, she diligently answered a series of security questions, further adding to the scam's façade of authenticity.

The scammers convinced her that her bank account had been hacked and that her hard-earned savings were at risk.

View attachment 17267

The scam involved 'spoofing', where hackers use a legitimate phone number to make communications appear genuine. Credit: Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya.

Playing on her fears, the scammers spun a tale of a security breach that could result in a fake passport being created or someone wiping out her funds by walking into a bank branch. To protect herself, Madison was coerced into transferring her savings to a newly created bank account.

The scammers even manipulated her into increasing her transfer limit from $5000 to $50,000, increasing the stakes of the deceitful scheme.

Madison's guard was down as the text message from the scammers appeared in the same thread as her previous conversations with the bank.

This deceptive tactic lulled her into a false sense of security, leading her to believe that the message was genuine. Little did she know that she was about to be duped by a scam that is becoming all too common in today's digital landscape.

The scammers employed a sinister technique called 'spoofing', making it seem like Madison was receiving authentic communication from the bank's number.

This insidious tactic is increasingly being used by scammers to deceive unsuspecting victims, exploiting their trust in legitimate institutions.

​

In a relentless five-day ordeal, the scammers coerced Madison into transferring just under $50,000 each day while bombarding her with follow-up text messages in the same thread. The cunning scammers were able to syphon off almost $250,000 from the couple's account before Suncorp finally froze it.

The shock and disbelief were palpable when Madison reached out to the bank directly, only to be informed that she had fallen victim to a scam. Her ‘jaw dropped’ as she learned that the money had been transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account, leaving her and her partner devastated.

As the couple anxiously awaited more information from Suncorp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The staggering amount of money that had been lost, the betrayal of trust, and the sheer audacity of the scammers' actions left them reeling, realising the dire consequences of falling prey to such a sophisticated scam…

View attachment 17268

The loss of their life savings took a toll on Madison’s mental health. Credit: Unsplash/Claudia Wolff.

The situation for the couple went from bad to worse as Suncorp argued that it was not responsible for the money lost, despite informing them they had been scammed within four hours of the incident.

The couple was left devastated, facing the harsh reality of a $200,000 loss.

Adding insult to injury, the couple learned a shocking piece of information during their scam investigation that turned their despair into rage.

They discovered that Commonwealth Bank had flagged their first transfer of almost $50,000 as unusual activity and had alerted Suncorp that it could be a scam. However, the alert only resulted in the first transfer being frozen, and the remaining $150,000 was still allowed to be transferred to the scammer's account without their knowledge.

Commonwealth Bank was only able to recover $42,796 from the total loss, leaving the couple with a substantial financial burden.

View attachment 17277​

Feeling betrayed and let down by the very institutions they trusted to protect their money, the couple slammed the banks for lack of accountability and for shifting the blame onto them despite the warning systems reportedly being ignored.

Determined to seek justice and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, the couple is considering launching a class action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank.

They have also identified five other families who bank with Suncorp and were impacted by similar scams in Queensland and Victoria, further fueling their resolve to take legal action.

‘I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing we are going through; it’s heart-wrenching,’ said Peter.

Key Takeaways

• A couple fell victim to a sophisticated scam where scammers posed as their bank, Suncorp, and convinced them to transfer almost $250,000 of their life savings into a hacker-controlled account over the course of five days.
• Despite Commonwealth Bank flagging the first transfer as potentially suspicious, Suncorp failed to inform the couple, leading to the subsequent transfers and a devastating financial loss.
• The couple is now considering legal action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank, as they believe the banks failed to take accountability for the scam and ignored warning systems while also aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar hardships.

In today's digital age, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and can have devastating consequences for unsuspecting individuals like Madison and Peter. As we rely more on online transactions and communication with financial institutions, it's crucial to stay vigilant and cautious.

We hope you found this story eye-opening! Could you imagine falling victim to a scam and losing your entire life savings? How would you feel if your bank failed to notify you of suspicious activity? Members, please let us know what you think in the comments section below!

How many times do people have to be told - don’t answer these stupid scam calls & texts. If you get something like this, YOU must call your bank first to check before doing anything.

 

[goodmorning]

you need to go or ring the bank or bossiness yourself and check do not trust any text or email do the home work and check your self.

 

[KiwiTrish]

The modern world has given us so many conveniences, but there's a darker side as well – scammers continue to devise new and cunning ways to prey on innocent people, often stealing significant amounts of money in the process.

We at the Seniors Discount Club want all our members to stay informed about these scams and how to avoid them so that you can protect your hard-earned life savings.

A recent case has come to light in Sydney, where an unsuspecting family fell victim to a clever and sinister scam that cost them their entire life savings – a staggering $200,000.

The couple, Peter and Madison (names changed for privacy), are left unable to afford groceries and are now discussing the possibility of selling their home and moving in with their family to make ends meet.

View attachment 17266

A Sydney family fell victim to a scam and lost $200,000 of their life savings. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Ware.

It was a seemingly harmless text message from what appeared to be Madison's trusted bank, Suncorp. The message alerted her to a suspicious transaction on her account and provided a phone number to contact the bank's fraud department.

The message read: ‘Did you try to set up a new outgoing transfer via PayID for $895.37 to Mr F Wilson? If NOT, please contact our fraud…’

But little did she know that she was about to fall victim to a treacherous scheme.

In a chilling turn of events, Madison found herself caught in the web of scammers. Unaware of their malicious intent, she diligently answered a series of security questions, further adding to the scam's façade of authenticity.

The scammers convinced her that her bank account had been hacked and that her hard-earned savings were at risk.

View attachment 17267

The scam involved 'spoofing', where hackers use a legitimate phone number to make communications appear genuine. Credit: Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya.

Playing on her fears, the scammers spun a tale of a security breach that could result in a fake passport being created or someone wiping out her funds by walking into a bank branch. To protect herself, Madison was coerced into transferring her savings to a newly created bank account.

The scammers even manipulated her into increasing her transfer limit from $5000 to $50,000, increasing the stakes of the deceitful scheme.

Madison's guard was down as the text message from the scammers appeared in the same thread as her previous conversations with the bank.

This deceptive tactic lulled her into a false sense of security, leading her to believe that the message was genuine. Little did she know that she was about to be duped by a scam that is becoming all too common in today's digital landscape.

The scammers employed a sinister technique called 'spoofing', making it seem like Madison was receiving authentic communication from the bank's number.

This insidious tactic is increasingly being used by scammers to deceive unsuspecting victims, exploiting their trust in legitimate institutions.

​

In a relentless five-day ordeal, the scammers coerced Madison into transferring just under $50,000 each day while bombarding her with follow-up text messages in the same thread. The cunning scammers were able to syphon off almost $250,000 from the couple's account before Suncorp finally froze it.

The shock and disbelief were palpable when Madison reached out to the bank directly, only to be informed that she had fallen victim to a scam. Her ‘jaw dropped’ as she learned that the money had been transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account, leaving her and her partner devastated.

As the couple anxiously awaited more information from Suncorp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The staggering amount of money that had been lost, the betrayal of trust, and the sheer audacity of the scammers' actions left them reeling, realising the dire consequences of falling prey to such a sophisticated scam…

View attachment 17268

The loss of their life savings took a toll on Madison’s mental health. Credit: Unsplash/Claudia Wolff.

The situation for the couple went from bad to worse as Suncorp argued that it was not responsible for the money lost, despite informing them they had been scammed within four hours of the incident.

The couple was left devastated, facing the harsh reality of a $200,000 loss.

Adding insult to injury, the couple learned a shocking piece of information during their scam investigation that turned their despair into rage.

They discovered that Commonwealth Bank had flagged their first transfer of almost $50,000 as unusual activity and had alerted Suncorp that it could be a scam. However, the alert only resulted in the first transfer being frozen, and the remaining $150,000 was still allowed to be transferred to the scammer's account without their knowledge.

Commonwealth Bank was only able to recover $42,796 from the total loss, leaving the couple with a substantial financial burden.

View attachment 17277​

Feeling betrayed and let down by the very institutions they trusted to protect their money, the couple slammed the banks for lack of accountability and for shifting the blame onto them despite the warning systems reportedly being ignored.

Determined to seek justice and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, the couple is considering launching a class action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank.

They have also identified five other families who bank with Suncorp and were impacted by similar scams in Queensland and Victoria, further fueling their resolve to take legal action.

‘I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing we are going through; it’s heart-wrenching,’ said Peter.

Key Takeaways

• A couple fell victim to a sophisticated scam where scammers posed as their bank, Suncorp, and convinced them to transfer almost $250,000 of their life savings into a hacker-controlled account over the course of five days.
• Despite Commonwealth Bank flagging the first transfer as potentially suspicious, Suncorp failed to inform the couple, leading to the subsequent transfers and a devastating financial loss.
• The couple is now considering legal action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank, as they believe the banks failed to take accountability for the scam and ignored warning systems while also aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar hardships.

In today's digital age, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and can have devastating consequences for unsuspecting individuals like Madison and Peter. As we rely more on online transactions and communication with financial institutions, it's crucial to stay vigilant and cautious.

We hope you found this story eye-opening! Could you imagine falling victim to a scam and losing your entire life savings? How would you feel if your bank failed to notify you of suspicious activity? Members, please let us know what you think in the comments section below!

So wrong when the commonwealth let Suncorp know they should be accountable when they got the info and didn’t do anything I’d never bank with them people need to change banks never heard such bad management

 

[Lizzie17]

The modern world has given us so many conveniences, but there's a darker side as well – scammers continue to devise new and cunning ways to prey on innocent people, often stealing significant amounts of money in the process.

We at the Seniors Discount Club want all our members to stay informed about these scams and how to avoid them so that you can protect your hard-earned life savings.

A recent case has come to light in Sydney, where an unsuspecting family fell victim to a clever and sinister scam that cost them their entire life savings – a staggering $200,000.

The couple, Peter and Madison (names changed for privacy), are left unable to afford groceries and are now discussing the possibility of selling their home and moving in with their family to make ends meet.

View attachment 17266

A Sydney family fell victim to a scam and lost $200,000 of their life savings. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Ware.

It was a seemingly harmless text message from what appeared to be Madison's trusted bank, Suncorp. The message alerted her to a suspicious transaction on her account and provided a phone number to contact the bank's fraud department.

The message read: ‘Did you try to set up a new outgoing transfer via PayID for $895.37 to Mr F Wilson? If NOT, please contact our fraud…’

But little did she know that she was about to fall victim to a treacherous scheme.

In a chilling turn of events, Madison found herself caught in the web of scammers. Unaware of their malicious intent, she diligently answered a series of security questions, further adding to the scam's façade of authenticity.

The scammers convinced her that her bank account had been hacked and that her hard-earned savings were at risk.

View attachment 17267

The scam involved 'spoofing', where hackers use a legitimate phone number to make communications appear genuine. Credit: Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya.

Playing on her fears, the scammers spun a tale of a security breach that could result in a fake passport being created or someone wiping out her funds by walking into a bank branch. To protect herself, Madison was coerced into transferring her savings to a newly created bank account.

The scammers even manipulated her into increasing her transfer limit from $5000 to $50,000, increasing the stakes of the deceitful scheme.

Madison's guard was down as the text message from the scammers appeared in the same thread as her previous conversations with the bank.

This deceptive tactic lulled her into a false sense of security, leading her to believe that the message was genuine. Little did she know that she was about to be duped by a scam that is becoming all too common in today's digital landscape.

The scammers employed a sinister technique called 'spoofing', making it seem like Madison was receiving authentic communication from the bank's number.

This insidious tactic is increasingly being used by scammers to deceive unsuspecting victims, exploiting their trust in legitimate institutions.

​

In a relentless five-day ordeal, the scammers coerced Madison into transferring just under $50,000 each day while bombarding her with follow-up text messages in the same thread. The cunning scammers were able to syphon off almost $250,000 from the couple's account before Suncorp finally froze it.

The shock and disbelief were palpable when Madison reached out to the bank directly, only to be informed that she had fallen victim to a scam. Her ‘jaw dropped’ as she learned that the money had been transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account, leaving her and her partner devastated.

As the couple anxiously awaited more information from Suncorp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The staggering amount of money that had been lost, the betrayal of trust, and the sheer audacity of the scammers' actions left them reeling, realising the dire consequences of falling prey to such a sophisticated scam…

View attachment 17268

The loss of their life savings took a toll on Madison’s mental health. Credit: Unsplash/Claudia Wolff.

The situation for the couple went from bad to worse as Suncorp argued that it was not responsible for the money lost, despite informing them they had been scammed within four hours of the incident.

The couple was left devastated, facing the harsh reality of a $200,000 loss.

Adding insult to injury, the couple learned a shocking piece of information during their scam investigation that turned their despair into rage.

They discovered that Commonwealth Bank had flagged their first transfer of almost $50,000 as unusual activity and had alerted Suncorp that it could be a scam. However, the alert only resulted in the first transfer being frozen, and the remaining $150,000 was still allowed to be transferred to the scammer's account without their knowledge.

Commonwealth Bank was only able to recover $42,796 from the total loss, leaving the couple with a substantial financial burden.

View attachment 17277​

Feeling betrayed and let down by the very institutions they trusted to protect their money, the couple slammed the banks for lack of accountability and for shifting the blame onto them despite the warning systems reportedly being ignored.

Determined to seek justice and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, the couple is considering launching a class action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank.

They have also identified five other families who bank with Suncorp and were impacted by similar scams in Queensland and Victoria, further fueling their resolve to take legal action.

‘I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing we are going through; it’s heart-wrenching,’ said Peter.

Key Takeaways

• A couple fell victim to a sophisticated scam where scammers posed as their bank, Suncorp, and convinced them to transfer almost $250,000 of their life savings into a hacker-controlled account over the course of five days.
• Despite Commonwealth Bank flagging the first transfer as potentially suspicious, Suncorp failed to inform the couple, leading to the subsequent transfers and a devastating financial loss.
• The couple is now considering legal action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank, as they believe the banks failed to take accountability for the scam and ignored warning systems while also aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar hardships.

In today's digital age, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and can have devastating consequences for unsuspecting individuals like Madison and Peter. As we rely more on online transactions and communication with financial institutions, it's crucial to stay vigilant and cautious.

We hope you found this story eye-opening! Could you imagine falling victim to a scam and losing your entire life savings? How would you feel if your bank failed to notify you of suspicious activity? Members, please let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Just this week I also had a scam very similar, coming through my messages on my phone, saying that an amount was taken out of my Comm Bank account, and could I please phone this number which looked legit. So Monday morning I did, I told them for one thing I don't bank with Comm Bank, the person on the other end sounded English , asked me which bank , eventually I told him he said he would put me through to that bank, funny though it sounded a little like the same guy. This guy in turn was telling me that yes he could see the transaction and that there were was another transaction which they had stopped. He then proceeded to tell me he was going to talk to the accounts. He came back to me a couple of minutes later asking me for all this information. Once he started asking me these questions I got suspicious, I asked him for the phone number and I will phone him back. He kept telling me the same number that I rang on , but I kept persisting that I wanted a phone number and I will phone him back. No such Luck..... I knew then that this was not a legit fraud department. I told him I would contact my own bank when it opens, funny how they kept persisting that if you don't do this straight away things could go belly up. I contacted Comm bank fraud dept, they informed me they would not have written what was on the message for one thing, they also informed me that yes this was a scam and it was great that I did not give them any information.
These guys are getting better and better at scamming people, I think they have realized that if they do not speak English without an accent, they would not get information from their victim. I am just so cautious with anyone that is trying to get personal information from me over the phone or even on line. Links is another one that they send you a message saying that you owe them money, please contact them with payment, I know these are scams as I have a payment system and this would never happen.
There is also another way of knowing if its a scam when they send you emails , official sites have all their information on the bottom of the email with contact ph numbers , government information, like registrations of the company. Just little things that you can look out for. Phones , always ask them for a phone number and you will contact them back, if they can't give you one then you know its a scam. I don't know about everyone else but I am getting tired of all of this.

 

[Da Freddo]

It's on the radio, tv and other mediums, Banks will never ask you confidential information over the phone.
You listen to the radio and take nothing in.
Nobody is to blame but you!
LISTEN UP.
How many times does this need to be repeated.

 

[Senior discount]

Why does this keep happening.
These unfortunate scams (with tragic consequences) are highlighted every day on social platforms, all the various media outlets, so why do people still fall for it??
Too much reliance on modern technology and also all common sense has flown out the window.
Why didn't alarm bells go off with such large amounts. Wasn't the lady talking with her partner?
Good luck in their endeavours to sue the banks . People have to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions.
I never answer unknown or phone numbers that aren't recorded on my phone directory. If a message is not left I block the number .
PLEASE EVERYONE, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR OR READ FROM UNKNOWN PEOPLE OR EMAIL .
RING THE INSTITUTIONS BACK OR GO ONLINE TO THEIR SECURE SITE THAT YOU HAVE. ESPECIALLY BANKS AND GOVERNMENT DEPTS.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

Rule #1: GET RID OF YOUR 'SMART'PHONE.
It's smarter than most of its owners.
Rule #2: Do your banking at the Bank; that's what they're there for. If enough people rediscover this, you never know... the Banks might just stop closing branches?

 

[WADuck]

Another favourite scam lately is (and they got me in but I woke up to it in time to stop them accessing my account) is an email saying they are sorry but a payment of $1,000 went through in error and if you want it reversed immediately ring our finance department on a specific number to have amount reversed. The scam then continues. Lot of cold hearted bastards around. Be aware.

 

[Exclusive]

The modern world has given us so many conveniences, but there's a darker side as well – scammers continue to devise new and cunning ways to prey on innocent people, often stealing significant amounts of money in the process.

We at the Seniors Discount Club want all our members to stay informed about these scams and how to avoid them so that you can protect your hard-earned life savings.

A recent case has come to light in Sydney, where an unsuspecting family fell victim to a clever and sinister scam that cost them their entire life savings – a staggering $200,000.

The couple, Peter and Madison (names changed for privacy), are left unable to afford groceries and are now discussing the possibility of selling their home and moving in with their family to make ends meet.

View attachment 17266

A Sydney family fell victim to a scam and lost $200,000 of their life savings. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Ware.

It was a seemingly harmless text message from what appeared to be Madison's trusted bank, Suncorp. The message alerted her to a suspicious transaction on her account and provided a phone number to contact the bank's fraud department.

The message read: ‘Did you try to set up a new outgoing transfer via PayID for $895.37 to Mr F Wilson? If NOT, please contact our fraud…’

But little did she know that she was about to fall victim to a treacherous scheme.

In a chilling turn of events, Madison found herself caught in the web of scammers. Unaware of their malicious intent, she diligently answered a series of security questions, further adding to the scam's façade of authenticity.

The scammers convinced her that her bank account had been hacked and that her hard-earned savings were at risk.

View attachment 17267

The scam involved 'spoofing', where hackers use a legitimate phone number to make communications appear genuine. Credit: Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya.

Playing on her fears, the scammers spun a tale of a security breach that could result in a fake passport being created or someone wiping out her funds by walking into a bank branch. To protect herself, Madison was coerced into transferring her savings to a newly created bank account.

The scammers even manipulated her into increasing her transfer limit from $5000 to $50,000, increasing the stakes of the deceitful scheme.

Madison's guard was down as the text message from the scammers appeared in the same thread as her previous conversations with the bank.

This deceptive tactic lulled her into a false sense of security, leading her to believe that the message was genuine. Little did she know that she was about to be duped by a scam that is becoming all too common in today's digital landscape.

The scammers employed a sinister technique called 'spoofing', making it seem like Madison was receiving authentic communication from the bank's number.

This insidious tactic is increasingly being used by scammers to deceive unsuspecting victims, exploiting their trust in legitimate institutions.

​

In a relentless five-day ordeal, the scammers coerced Madison into transferring just under $50,000 each day while bombarding her with follow-up text messages in the same thread. The cunning scammers were able to syphon off almost $250,000 from the couple's account before Suncorp finally froze it.

The shock and disbelief were palpable when Madison reached out to the bank directly, only to be informed that she had fallen victim to a scam. Her ‘jaw dropped’ as she learned that the money had been transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account, leaving her and her partner devastated.

As the couple anxiously awaited more information from Suncorp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The staggering amount of money that had been lost, the betrayal of trust, and the sheer audacity of the scammers' actions left them reeling, realising the dire consequences of falling prey to such a sophisticated scam…

View attachment 17268

The loss of their life savings took a toll on Madison’s mental health. Credit: Unsplash/Claudia Wolff.

The situation for the couple went from bad to worse as Suncorp argued that it was not responsible for the money lost, despite informing them they had been scammed within four hours of the incident.

The couple was left devastated, facing the harsh reality of a $200,000 loss.

Adding insult to injury, the couple learned a shocking piece of information during their scam investigation that turned their despair into rage.

They discovered that Commonwealth Bank had flagged their first transfer of almost $50,000 as unusual activity and had alerted Suncorp that it could be a scam. However, the alert only resulted in the first transfer being frozen, and the remaining $150,000 was still allowed to be transferred to the scammer's account without their knowledge.

Commonwealth Bank was only able to recover $42,796 from the total loss, leaving the couple with a substantial financial burden.

View attachment 17277​

Feeling betrayed and let down by the very institutions they trusted to protect their money, the couple slammed the banks for lack of accountability and for shifting the blame onto them despite the warning systems reportedly being ignored.

Determined to seek justice and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, the couple is considering launching a class action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank.

They have also identified five other families who bank with Suncorp and were impacted by similar scams in Queensland and Victoria, further fueling their resolve to take legal action.

‘I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing we are going through; it’s heart-wrenching,’ said Peter.

Key Takeaways

• A couple fell victim to a sophisticated scam where scammers posed as their bank, Suncorp, and convinced them to transfer almost $250,000 of their life savings into a hacker-controlled account over the course of five days.
• Despite Commonwealth Bank flagging the first transfer as potentially suspicious, Suncorp failed to inform the couple, leading to the subsequent transfers and a devastating financial loss.
• The couple is now considering legal action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank, as they believe the banks failed to take accountability for the scam and ignored warning systems while also aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar hardships.

In today's digital age, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and can have devastating consequences for unsuspecting individuals like Madison and Peter. As we rely more on online transactions and communication with financial institutions, it's crucial to stay vigilant and cautious.

We hope you found this story eye-opening! Could you imagine falling victim to a scam and losing your entire life savings? How would you feel if your bank failed to notify you of suspicious activity? Members, please let us know what you think in the comments section below!

I had a very similar issue a couple of months ago. I used to work for the NAB so very viligent when it comes to scams. I had a text from NAB to say someone had taken $1899 from my credit card and it seemed like a fraudulent transaction. There was the normal NAB phone number in the text to ring but I chose to ring and not click the number. Everything seemed ok. I had no idea how someone got my credit card number. The bank told me there was 2 more attempts to withdraw money. They obviously got on to it quickly and had cancelled my card after the first attack. In was informed that a new card had been ordered and they would look into the transaction. Upon checking it looked real, it was Telstra and with an NBN number when I checked on the transaction. I was told it could take a month for me to hear from the bank after the checks.
I had my new credit card in 3 days and received a refund into my new credit card in about a week and a half. Cannot complain at all about NAB and their security process it was first class.

 

[Senor]

Why would people contact the senders of these emails/txt on the number they provide. Google the number of the bank and talk to them. Do not just call the number provided in the email.

 

[Tootie]

I received a text the other day purporting to be from Comm Bank. Firstly, I don't bank with them, and I deleted the text. Knew it was a scam immediately. When will people learn to call your bank FIRST and not be duped by those rotten mongrels out to get your money and ID?!

 

[Trudi]

So wrong when the commonwealth let Suncorp know they should be accountable when they got the info and didn’t do anything I’d never bank with them people need to change banks never heard such bad management

Why would the bank, which had no part in it, be responsible for the stupidity of those people?

 

[Trudi]

I had a very similar issue a couple of months ago. I used to work for the NAB so very viligent when it comes to scams. I had a text from NAB to say someone had taken $1899 from my credit card and it seemed like a fraudulent transaction. There was the normal NAB phone number in the text to ring but I chose to ring and not click the number. Everything seemed ok. I had no idea how someone got my credit card number. The bank told me there was 2 more attempts to withdraw money. They obviously got on to it quickly and had cancelled my card after the first attack. In was informed that a new card had been ordered and they would look into the transaction. Upon checking it looked real, it was Telstra and with an NBN number when I checked on the transaction. I was told it could take a month for me to hear from the bank after the checks.
I had my new credit card in 3 days and received a refund into my new credit card in about a week and a half. Cannot complain at all about NAB and their security process it was first class.

On some rare occasions your bank may contact you because someone has actually managed to access your credit card.

This is what happened to me about 15 years ago, the bank phoned to tell me about some transactions in the USA on my credit card and asked if I knew anything about them. I checked my credit card transactions online and saw what the bank was talking about. I told them that I had not been out of the country, had not given my credit card details to another person and had not ordered anything on-line.

They cancelled my credit card and, since it was also my debit card to draw down on my account, I was told I would still be able to withdraw cash over the counter until I received my new card. All illegal transactions on my credit card were then reversed and I received my new card after a couple of weeks.

I have no idea how someone would have obtained my credit card details.

 

[Ashmenou]

Sorry but I just don’t understand why people fall for them. Repor them and block the numerate and if you are in doubt just ring your financial institution’s phone number. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION.

 

[Keswickian]

I'm sorry but I hope the class action against the banks is unsuccessful.
There are plenty of warnings and published accounts of these kind of scams so it's very foolish to fall for it without making some checks on the validity of the text.
As others have said, I don't see how the banks can protect their customers from making foolish transactions. In this case it appears that the bank did provide warnings that appear to have been ignored.
If the bank is required to compensate this customer, the money will affect the earnings of other customers and shareholders; so why should they contribute to the foolish transactions of some customers?

 

[Shane/#]

The modern world has given us so many conveniences, but there's a darker side as well – scammers continue to devise new and cunning ways to prey on innocent people, often stealing significant amounts of money in the process.

We at the Seniors Discount Club want all our members to stay informed about these scams and how to avoid them so that you can protect your hard-earned life savings.

A recent case has come to light in Sydney, where an unsuspecting family fell victim to a clever and sinister scam that cost them their entire life savings – a staggering $200,000.

The couple, Peter and Madison (names changed for privacy), are left unable to afford groceries and are now discussing the possibility of selling their home and moving in with their family to make ends meet.

View attachment 17266

A Sydney family fell victim to a scam and lost $200,000 of their life savings. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Ware.

It was a seemingly harmless text message from what appeared to be Madison's trusted bank, Suncorp. The message alerted her to a suspicious transaction on her account and provided a phone number to contact the bank's fraud department.

The message read: ‘Did you try to set up a new outgoing transfer via PayID for $895.37 to Mr F Wilson? If NOT, please contact our fraud…’

But little did she know that she was about to fall victim to a treacherous scheme.

In a chilling turn of events, Madison found herself caught in the web of scammers. Unaware of their malicious intent, she diligently answered a series of security questions, further adding to the scam's façade of authenticity.

The scammers convinced her that her bank account had been hacked and that her hard-earned savings were at risk.

View attachment 17267

The scam involved 'spoofing', where hackers use a legitimate phone number to make communications appear genuine. Credit: Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya.

Playing on her fears, the scammers spun a tale of a security breach that could result in a fake passport being created or someone wiping out her funds by walking into a bank branch. To protect herself, Madison was coerced into transferring her savings to a newly created bank account.

The scammers even manipulated her into increasing her transfer limit from $5000 to $50,000, increasing the stakes of the deceitful scheme.

Madison's guard was down as the text message from the scammers appeared in the same thread as her previous conversations with the bank.

This deceptive tactic lulled her into a false sense of security, leading her to believe that the message was genuine. Little did she know that she was about to be duped by a scam that is becoming all too common in today's digital landscape.

The scammers employed a sinister technique called 'spoofing', making it seem like Madison was receiving authentic communication from the bank's number.

This insidious tactic is increasingly being used by scammers to deceive unsuspecting victims, exploiting their trust in legitimate institutions.

​

In a relentless five-day ordeal, the scammers coerced Madison into transferring just under $50,000 each day while bombarding her with follow-up text messages in the same thread. The cunning scammers were able to syphon off almost $250,000 from the couple's account before Suncorp finally froze it.

The shock and disbelief were palpable when Madison reached out to the bank directly, only to be informed that she had fallen victim to a scam. Her ‘jaw dropped’ as she learned that the money had been transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account, leaving her and her partner devastated.

As the couple anxiously awaited more information from Suncorp, the reality of the situation began to sink in.

The staggering amount of money that had been lost, the betrayal of trust, and the sheer audacity of the scammers' actions left them reeling, realising the dire consequences of falling prey to such a sophisticated scam…

View attachment 17268

The loss of their life savings took a toll on Madison’s mental health. Credit: Unsplash/Claudia Wolff.

The situation for the couple went from bad to worse as Suncorp argued that it was not responsible for the money lost, despite informing them they had been scammed within four hours of the incident.

The couple was left devastated, facing the harsh reality of a $200,000 loss.

Adding insult to injury, the couple learned a shocking piece of information during their scam investigation that turned their despair into rage.

They discovered that Commonwealth Bank had flagged their first transfer of almost $50,000 as unusual activity and had alerted Suncorp that it could be a scam. However, the alert only resulted in the first transfer being frozen, and the remaining $150,000 was still allowed to be transferred to the scammer's account without their knowledge.

Commonwealth Bank was only able to recover $42,796 from the total loss, leaving the couple with a substantial financial burden.

View attachment 17277​

Feeling betrayed and let down by the very institutions they trusted to protect their money, the couple slammed the banks for lack of accountability and for shifting the blame onto them despite the warning systems reportedly being ignored.

Determined to seek justice and prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, the couple is considering launching a class action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank.

They have also identified five other families who bank with Suncorp and were impacted by similar scams in Queensland and Victoria, further fueling their resolve to take legal action.

‘I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing we are going through; it’s heart-wrenching,’ said Peter.

Key Takeaways

• A couple fell victim to a sophisticated scam where scammers posed as their bank, Suncorp, and convinced them to transfer almost $250,000 of their life savings into a hacker-controlled account over the course of five days.
• Despite Commonwealth Bank flagging the first transfer as potentially suspicious, Suncorp failed to inform the couple, leading to the subsequent transfers and a devastating financial loss.
• The couple is now considering legal action against both Suncorp and Commonwealth Bank, as they believe the banks failed to take accountability for the scam and ignored warning systems while also aiming to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar hardships.

In today's digital age, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and can have devastating consequences for unsuspecting individuals like Madison and Peter. As we rely more on online transactions and communication with financial institutions, it's crucial to stay vigilant and cautious.

We hope you found this story eye-opening! Could you imagine falling victim to a scam and losing your entire life savings? How would you feel if your bank failed to notify you of suspicious activity? Members, please let us know what you think in the comments section below!

This is a problem with phone banking ,transfer, transactions etc I recently had a scam text saying I had $895 removed from my account contact details link to tap on though these arseholes are trying everything fun part is I didn't have a bank account with this group had a laugh about it and deleted it and plenty of phone calls that if I don't know the number I won't answer if someone or company wants me they leave a message and then I ring back other than that I block the number funny enough they ring from a similar number with a few numbers different then block them if someone is unsure write the number down and Google it and they usually show it's from an Asian writing a or other countries then block them I also have a spam/scam alert on my phone then once it stops ringing I block it and the other thing is I DON'T DO ONLINE BANKING SIMPLE

 

[Shane/#]

I'm sorry but I hope the class action against the banks is unsuccessful.
There are plenty of warnings and published accounts of these kind of scams so it's very foolish to fall for it without making some checks on the validity of the text.
As others have said, I don't see how the banks can protect their customers from making foolish transactions. In this case it appears that the bank did provide warnings that appear to have been ignored.
If the bank is required to compensate this customer, the money will affect the earnings of other customers and shareholders; so why should they contribute to the foolish transactions of some customers?

That class action was put in so many things that the royal commission proposed but the Lnp government implemented bugger all it was a slap on the wrist normal from that government Muppets

 

[Gsr]

I also don’t know why people still get scammed when there is so much publicity every day, on every form of media, about scams. I really feel people have only themselves to blame if they ignore the obvious red flags that they should be seeing when someone is trying to scam them. How someone could just transfer such large amounts of money each day without even bothering to contact their bank to check it was legit is beyond me. Why would you not just put a stop on your account straight away when you were told an unauthorised transaction had been made? That is what any sensible person would do.

 

[Catherines]

Sorry, but little sympathy for anyone who is hit hard; DON’T RESPOND TO THESE SCAMS. FULL STOP.