Losing money can be a devastating experience, whether it’s a few hundred dollars or even tens of thousands.

Sadly, this was the reality for one family of five who lost around $80,000 in just a matter of minutes to a tricky spoofing scam.

It all started on November 13 when Rachel Jorgensen was out shopping for groceries.

Suddenly, her phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone claiming to be an employee of Suncorp Bank.

According to the employee, Rachel and her husband Michael’s account had been compromised, so, they would need to transfer funds to a new account.

‘She spoke to me about it and said to the guy on the phone, “Look, how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Michael said.

At a glance, the alleged employee was calling from a number that matched Suncorp’s.

What’s more, messages sent by the employee appeared in the same message thread as the bank’s on Rachel’s phone, which made a convincing case that the person they were in contact with was indeed a Suncorp employee.

Rachel and Michael Jorgensen are in disbelief after a scammer tricked them by phone. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

The employee managed to persuade Rachel into increasing her daily transaction limit.

Soon enough, Rachel came to a conclusion you probably have at this point: the man was a fraud.

But it was too late for the mum of three — unauthorised transactions had already been stealing their money.

‘It was three separate transactions totalling almost $80,000,’ Rachel shared.

Michael added: ‘It was devastating. Our hearts sank. We’re just like “What’ll this do to us and our three kids?”’

The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp to flag the scammer and prevent further damage to their account, but to make matters worse, the couple claimed they could not reach the bank’s fraud team.

‘We were on the phone for over four hours to them and their different departments trying to create some sort of urgency and to figure out what to do next,’ said Rachel.

After a week’s worth of waiting, Rachel and Michael managed to retrieve $21,000 before the bank closed the case.

Understandably, the couple is upset over the $59,000 that remains up in the air.

‘It’s been disgusting,’ Michael said of the way their case was handled.

‘We’ve been loyal customers of theirs over the last 12 years, we have lots of accounts and insurances with them, and their duty of care is just not there,’ Rachel added in dismay.

Rachel received messages from the scammer appearing under Suncorp’s number. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

In a statement, Suncorp addressed the crucial delay in reaching their fraud team that the Jorgensens alleged.

‘The customer’s inability to speak directly to a fraud team member did not inhibit recovery action.’ the bank said.

‘Our process is designed to be recovery-focused, we prioritise contacting the other bank to which the payments were sent.’

Suncorp also warned that it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another account regardless of how legitimate messages may seem.

We hope the Jorgensens get most, if not all, of their hard-earned money back.

Now, you might be thinking: ‘How did those scammers pretend to be Suncorp?’

The answer is called ‘spoofing’.

Spoofing is defined in general as someone assuming characteristics from another person or institution to take on a fake identity.

What happened in the case of the Jorgensens is called Caller ID spoofing, where scammers assumed the identity of Suncorp by phone.

They do this by using services that allow the masking of information sent to the caller ID function that phones use.

Suncorp denies that the delays the Jorgensens experienced in reaching their fraud team affected their recovery of the stolen money. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

These services, known here as Calling Line Identification, are legal in Australia according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), except when used for purposes like tricking people out of their money.

Now, what makes Caller ID spoofing more difficult to deal with is that scammers using this method have been known to come prepared. They can tell you information about your account that no one else would know including how much you have or your recent transactions.

It’s unknown how they manage to come by this information, but one popular theory is they manage to do so by phishing the details right out of unsuspecting users by sending emails that ask for sensitive information.

The ACMA underscores that institutions such as banks will never ask for financial details over the phone.

Key Takeaways

• A family of five has lost almost $80,000 in a spoofing scam.
• The scammer called Rachel Jorgensen, pretending to be a Suncorp Bank employee, and told her that her bank account had been compromised.
• The scammer then talked Rachel through increasing her daily transaction limit and made three strange transactions totalling almost $80,000.
• The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp but could not reach the fraud team. After a week, $21,000 had been recovered but they were told the case was closed.
• Suncorp says it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another bank account no matter how legitimate the request may seem.

It is advised for Aussies to immediately drop calls that sound suspicious and reach services like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s ScamWatch and IDCare.

You may also be on the lookout for more of these nasty scams by checking our Scam Watch forum.

What is your reaction to the Jorgensens story? Have you encountered a suspicious call in the past asking for something similar? What did you do?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences below!

Source: YouTube/7News Australia​

 

[Suzanne rose]

Banks will never contact you via phone to say this
They will immediately put a block on your account and email you to phone them, they will never ask for information on the phone unless you call them.

More needs to be done to catch these low lifes

 

[The Prawn]

All good in hindsight, first thing you do is hang up then check your balance. Then call the bank on their main number and check the employee's validity. What was the answer when he asked the caller "how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Then talked them into increasing their daily transaction limit. How did he manage to hack their account and make more transactions? This Calling Line Identification needs to be outlawed. We get calls from OS all the time but they show on the phone as local or mobile numbers. I've heard of email spoofing but not phone number spoofing. I often wonder do some of these scammers actually work for the utilities and banks. The contact centers are all based OS somewhere.

 

[HollyC]

I too have been a victim, but via a comparison site finder.com. obviously the scammers are deep in there too, so when you click on 'more information' you are not surprised to get a call.

The scammers say Australia is a great market as the banks won't put added security measures in place. It is SO EASY to get money out of accounts. Other countries such as UK have added customer protection in place now, so scammers turn to Australia for their victims. Over a year now and still we are sitting ducks. This was also confessed to me by my bank's complaint officer.

We the victims, who did all they could, were failed at the last hurdle by the banks. We should take class action against their refusal to help their customers in the full knowledge that more can be done but won't, thus knowingly leaving us open to this.

We lost ALL our old age safety net. We are in deep trouble.

 

[Penny4]

I have one account with Suncorp & I don't even recognize that phone number to call 'Kurt".
It's so scary this is happening to unsuspecting honest people.
Scammers use shock tactics to throw off their victim's common sense, so they panic and take the bait.

 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

Honestly, when you answer the phone and you hear people yabbering in the background and after the first Hello (from your end), and no answer - I hang up.
Sure, quite a few have tried BUT I am generally mistrustful of people anyway.

 

[Cheezil]

I too have been a victim, but via a comparison site finder.com. obviously the scammers are deep in there too, so when you click on 'more information' you are not surprised to get a call.

The scammers say Australia is a great market as the banks won't put added security measures in place. It is SO EASY to get money out of accounts. Other countries such as UK have added customer protection in place now, so scammers turn to Australia for their victims. Over a year now and still we are sitting ducks. This was also confessed to me by my bank's complaint officer.

We the victims, who did all they could, were failed at the last hurdle by the banks. We should take class action against their refusal to help their customers in the full knowledge that more can be done but won't, thus knowingly leaving us open to this.

We lost ALL our old age safety net. We are in deep trouble.

Agree, banks are pathetic now & ditching them for a better alternative doesn't even seem to be an option any more unfort!
It stinks that even intelligent people can be victics too. Feel so sad & sorry every time i read about another one, its all too common!
No one's immune/safe from these scum bags, not in this country it seems.

 

[JayKay]

I am deeply distrustful of online banking.
I don't have a computer or the internet.
I only have my phone with very limited data, so all my banking is done at the bank.
Never answer phone numbers you don't recognise, or phone numbers which day private.
Let the caller leave a message...if you don't know them, don't ring back....no matter how tempted you might be.
There's no such things as the chance of a lifetime. The only chance is you loose your savings to scum bags.

 

[Vet543]

I AM EXTREMELY CAUSTIOUS WITH ANY ONLINE REQUEST THAT LEAD TO THE ABNORMAL METHODS.
Here is one...
This may NOT be a scam but it is very suspicious to me. I was purchasing a Chicken Coop for Farm use and incubated chickens, that I could sell as day-old chicks. THEN an addition to the sale I was offered a discount if I joined ONEPASS.. $130 shipping would be changed to FREE SHIPPING if I joined OnePass for $40 per year. Now I ONLY ever use PayPal online for any purchase from personally unknown dealers. Lke Catch.com Deal.com eBay.com.au Gumtree.com.au and MANY MORE .. PayPal is secure in my opinion. Now came the maybe catch . OnePass accepted Paypal whick I completed the deal with. Then NO Month Free trial happening. So I rang their support and the guy was not helpfull and TOLD me that the FREE Month Trial had to be activated by using my Credit Card. I argued to no avail .. Offered Paypal to no avail ... AND THEN SCRAPPED THE WHOLE DEAL... NEXT I NOTIFIED PAYPAL TO CANCEL THE ORIGINAL TRANSACTION.. All done...Maybe a scam Maybe not BUT I would not take the risk fullstop. My Bank Account is still safe this morning... So will watch it today and for the next few days ... This is not a warning but an experience that I was not prepared to accept... Do Not make a big deal, without professional advice. It is semply the way I protect my online account...

 

[Ganny]

Losing money can be a devastating experience, whether it’s a few hundred dollars or even tens of thousands.

Sadly, this was the reality for one family of five who lost around $80,000 in just a matter of minutes to a tricky spoofing scam.

It all started on November 13 when Rachel Jorgensen was out shopping for groceries.

Suddenly, her phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone claiming to be an employee of Suncorp Bank.

According to the employee, Rachel and her husband Michael’s account had been compromised, so, they would need to transfer funds to a new account.

‘She spoke to me about it and said to the guy on the phone, “Look, how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Michael said.

At a glance, the alleged employee was calling from a number that matched Suncorp’s.

What’s more, messages sent by the employee appeared in the same message thread as the bank’s on Rachel’s phone, which made a convincing case that the person they were in contact with was indeed a Suncorp employee.

View attachment 10134

Rachel and Michael Jorgensen are in disbelief after a scammer tricked them by phone. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

The employee managed to persuade Rachel into increasing her daily transaction limit.

Soon enough, Rachel came to a conclusion you probably have at this point: the man was a fraud.

But it was too late for the mum of three — unauthorised transactions had already been stealing their money.

‘It was three separate transactions totalling almost $80,000,’ Rachel shared.

Michael added: ‘It was devastating. Our hearts sank. We’re just like “What’ll this do to us and our three kids?”’

The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp to flag the scammer and prevent further damage to their account, but to make matters worse, the couple claimed they could not reach the bank’s fraud team.

‘We were on the phone for over four hours to them and their different departments trying to create some sort of urgency and to figure out what to do next,’ said Rachel.

After a week’s worth of waiting, Rachel and Michael managed to retrieve $21,000 before the bank closed the case.

Understandably, the couple is upset over the $59,000 that remains up in the air.

‘It’s been disgusting,’ Michael said of the way their case was handled.

‘We’ve been loyal customers of theirs over the last 12 years, we have lots of accounts and insurances with them, and their duty of care is just not there,’ Rachel added in dismay.

View attachment 10136

Rachel received messages from the scammer appearing under Suncorp’s number. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

In a statement, Suncorp addressed the crucial delay in reaching their fraud team that the Jorgensens alleged.

‘The customer’s inability to speak directly to a fraud team member did not inhibit recovery action.’ the bank said.

‘Our process is designed to be recovery-focused, we prioritise contacting the other bank to which the payments were sent.’

Suncorp also warned that it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another account regardless of how legitimate messages may seem.

We hope the Jorgensens get most, if not all, of their hard-earned money back.

Now, you might be thinking: ‘How did those scammers pretend to be Suncorp?’

The answer is called ‘spoofing’.

Spoofing is defined in general as someone assuming characteristics from another person or institution to take on a fake identity.

What happened in the case of the Jorgensens is called Caller ID spoofing, where scammers assumed the identity of Suncorp by phone.

They do this by using services that allow the masking of information sent to the caller ID function that phones use.

View attachment 10135

Suncorp denies that the delays the Jorgensens experienced in reaching their fraud team affected their recovery of the stolen money. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

These services, known here as Calling Line Identification, are legal in Australia according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), except when used for purposes like tricking people out of their money .

Now, what makes Caller ID spoofing more difficult to deal with is that scammers using this method have been known to come prepared. They can tell you information about your account that no one else would know including how much you have or your recent transactions.

It’s unknown how they manage to come by this information, but one popular theory is they manage to do so by phishing the details right out of unsuspecting users by sending emails that ask for sensitive information.

The ACMA underscores that institutions such as banks will never ask for financial details over the phone.

Key Takeaways

• A family of five has lost almost $80,000 in a spoofing scam.
• The scammer called Rachel Jorgensen, pretending to be a Suncorp Bank employee, and told her that her bank account had been compromised.
• The scammer then talked Rachel through increasing her daily transaction limit and made three strange transactions totalling almost $80,000.
• The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp but could not reach the fraud team. After a week, $21,000 had been recovered but they were told the case was closed.
• Suncorp says it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another bank account no matter how legitimate the request may seem.

It is advised for Aussies to immediately drop calls that sound suspicious and reach services like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s ScamWatch and IDCare.

You may also be on the lookout for more of these nasty scams by checking our Scam Watch forum.

What is your reaction to the Jorgensens story? Have you encountered a suspicious call in the past asking for something similar? What did you do?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences below!

Source: YouTube/7News Australia​

)

Losing money can be a devastating experience, whether it’s a few hundred dollars or even tens of thousands.

Sadly, this was the reality for one family of five who lost around $80,000 in just a matter of minutes to a tricky spoofing scam.

It all started on November 13 when Rachel Jorgensen was out shopping for groceries.

Suddenly, her phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone claiming to be an employee of Suncorp Bank.

According to the employee, Rachel and her husband Michael’s account had been compromised, so, they would need to transfer funds to a new account.

‘She spoke to me about it and said to the guy on the phone, “Look, how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Michael said.

At a glance, the alleged employee was calling from a number that matched Suncorp’s.

What’s more, messages sent by the employee appeared in the same message thread as the bank’s on Rachel’s phone, which made a convincing case that the person they were in contact with was indeed a Suncorp employee.

View attachment 10134

Rachel and Michael Jorgensen are in disbelief after a scammer tricked them by phone. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

The employee managed to persuade Rachel into increasing her daily transaction limit.

Soon enough, Rachel came to a conclusion you probably have at this point: the man was a fraud.

But it was too late for the mum of three — unauthorised transactions had already been stealing their money.

‘It was three separate transactions totalling almost $80,000,’ Rachel shared.

Michael added: ‘It was devastating. Our hearts sank. We’re just like “What’ll this do to us and our three kids?”’

The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp to flag the scammer and prevent further damage to their account, but to make matters worse, the couple claimed they could not reach the bank’s fraud team.

‘We were on the phone for over four hours to them and their different departments trying to create some sort of urgency and to figure out what to do next,’ said Rachel.

After a week’s worth of waiting, Rachel and Michael managed to retrieve $21,000 before the bank closed the case.

Understandably, the couple is upset over the $59,000 that remains up in the air.

‘It’s been disgusting,’ Michael said of the way their case was handled.

‘We’ve been loyal customers of theirs over the last 12 years, we have lots of accounts and insurances with them, and their duty of care is just not there,’ Rachel added in dismay.

View attachment 10136

Rachel received messages from the scammer appearing under Suncorp’s number. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

In a statement, Suncorp addressed the crucial delay in reaching their fraud team that the Jorgensens alleged.

‘The customer’s inability to speak directly to a fraud team member did not inhibit recovery action.’ the bank said.

‘Our process is designed to be recovery-focused, we prioritise contacting the other bank to which the payments were sent.’

Suncorp also warned that it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another account regardless of how legitimate messages may seem.

We hope the Jorgensens get most, if not all, of their hard-earned money back.

Now, you might be thinking: ‘How did those scammers pretend to be Suncorp?’

The answer is called ‘spoofing’.

Spoofing is defined in general as someone assuming characteristics from another person or institution to take on a fake identity.

What happened in the case of the Jorgensens is called Caller ID spoofing, where scammers assumed the identity of Suncorp by phone.

They do this by using services that allow the masking of information sent to the caller ID function that phones use.

View attachment 10135

Suncorp denies that the delays the Jorgensens experienced in reaching their fraud team affected their recovery of the stolen money. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

These services, known here as Calling Line Identification, are legal in Australia according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), except when used for purposes like tricking people out of their money .

Now, what makes Caller ID spoofing more difficult to deal with is that scammers using this method have been known to come prepared. They can tell you information about your account that no one else would know including how much you have or your recent transactions.

It’s unknown how they manage to come by this information, but one popular theory is they manage to do so by phishing the details right out of unsuspecting users by sending emails that ask for sensitive information.

The ACMA underscores that institutions such as banks will never ask for financial details over the phone.

Key Takeaways

• A family of five has lost almost $80,000 in a spoofing scam.
• The scammer called Rachel Jorgensen, pretending to be a Suncorp Bank employee, and told her that her bank account had been compromised.
• The scammer then talked Rachel through increasing her daily transaction limit and made three strange transactions totalling almost $80,000.
• The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp but could not reach the fraud team. After a week, $21,000 had been recovered but they were told the case was closed.
• Suncorp says it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another bank account no matter how legitimate the request may seem.

It is advised for Aussies to immediately drop calls that sound suspicious and reach services like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s ScamWatch and IDCare.

You may also be on the lookout for more of these nasty scams by checking our Scam Watch forum.

What is your reaction to the Jorgensens story? Have you encountered a suspicious call in the past asking for something similar? What did you do?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences below!

Source: YouTube/7News Australia​

 

[Macarj]

Another amateur bank

 

[mark godwin]

 

[mark godwin]

I AM EXTREMELY CAUSTIOUS WITH ANY ONLINE REQUEST THAT LEAD TO THE ABNORMAL METHODS.
Here is one...
This may NOT be a scam but it is very suspicious to me. I was purchasing a Chicken Coop for Farm use and incubated chickens, that I could sell as day-old chicks. THEN an addition to the sale I was offered a discount if I joined ONEPASS.. $130 shipping would be changed to FREE SHIPPING if I joined OnePass for $40 per year. Now I ONLY ever use PayPal online for any purchase from personally unknown dealers. Lke Catch.com Deal.com eBay.com.au Gumtree.com.au and MANY MORE .. PayPal is secure in my opinion. Now came the maybe catch . OnePass accepted Paypal whick I completed the deal with. Then NO Month Free trial happening. So I rang their support and the guy was not helpfull and TOLD me that the FREE Month Trial had to be activated by using my Credit Card. I argued to no avail .. Offered Paypal to no avail ... AND THEN SCRAPPED THE WHOLE DEAL... NEXT I NOTIFIED PAYPAL TO CANCEL THE ORIGINAL TRANSACTION.. All done...Maybe a scam Maybe not BUT I would not take the risk fullstop. My Bank Account is still safe this morning... So will watch it today and for the next few days ... This is not a warning but an experience that I was not prepared to accept... Do Not make a big deal, without professional advice. It is semply the way I protect my online account...

i,ll only use paypal , i,ve used the refund policy a few times .

 

[NotNats]

Losing money can be a devastating experience, whether it’s a few hundred dollars or even tens of thousands.

Sadly, this was the reality for one family of five who lost around $80,000 in just a matter of minutes to a tricky spoofing scam.

It all started on November 13 when Rachel Jorgensen was out shopping for groceries.

Suddenly, her phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone claiming to be an employee of Suncorp Bank.

According to the employee, Rachel and her husband Michael’s account had been compromised, so, they would need to transfer funds to a new account.

‘She spoke to me about it and said to the guy on the phone, “Look, how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Michael said.

At a glance, the alleged employee was calling from a number that matched Suncorp’s.

What’s more, messages sent by the employee appeared in the same message thread as the bank’s on Rachel’s phone, which made a convincing case that the person they were in contact with was indeed a Suncorp employee.

View attachment 10134

Rachel and Michael Jorgensen are in disbelief after a scammer tricked them by phone. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

The employee managed to persuade Rachel into increasing her daily transaction limit.

Soon enough, Rachel came to a conclusion you probably have at this point: the man was a fraud.

But it was too late for the mum of three — unauthorised transactions had already been stealing their money.

‘It was three separate transactions totalling almost $80,000,’ Rachel shared.

Michael added: ‘It was devastating. Our hearts sank. We’re just like “What’ll this do to us and our three kids?”’

The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp to flag the scammer and prevent further damage to their account, but to make matters worse, the couple claimed they could not reach the bank’s fraud team.

‘We were on the phone for over four hours to them and their different departments trying to create some sort of urgency and to figure out what to do next,’ said Rachel.

After a week’s worth of waiting, Rachel and Michael managed to retrieve $21,000 before the bank closed the case.

Understandably, the couple is upset over the $59,000 that remains up in the air.

‘It’s been disgusting,’ Michael said of the way their case was handled.

‘We’ve been loyal customers of theirs over the last 12 years, we have lots of accounts and insurances with them, and their duty of care is just not there,’ Rachel added in dismay.

View attachment 10136

Rachel received messages from the scammer appearing under Suncorp’s number. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

In a statement, Suncorp addressed the crucial delay in reaching their fraud team that the Jorgensens alleged.

‘The customer’s inability to speak directly to a fraud team member did not inhibit recovery action.’ the bank said.

‘Our process is designed to be recovery-focused, we prioritise contacting the other bank to which the payments were sent.’

Suncorp also warned that it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another account regardless of how legitimate messages may seem.

We hope the Jorgensens get most, if not all, of their hard-earned money back.

Now, you might be thinking: ‘How did those scammers pretend to be Suncorp?’

The answer is called ‘spoofing’.

Spoofing is defined in general as someone assuming characteristics from another person or institution to take on a fake identity.

What happened in the case of the Jorgensens is called Caller ID spoofing, where scammers assumed the identity of Suncorp by phone.

They do this by using services that allow the masking of information sent to the caller ID function that phones use.

View attachment 10135

Suncorp denies that the delays the Jorgensens experienced in reaching their fraud team affected their recovery of the stolen money. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

These services, known here as Calling Line Identification, are legal in Australia according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), except when used for purposes like tricking people out of their money.

Now, what makes Caller ID spoofing more difficult to deal with is that scammers using this method have been known to come prepared. They can tell you information about your account that no one else would know including how much you have or your recent transactions.

It’s unknown how they manage to come by this information, but one popular theory is they manage to do so by phishing the details right out of unsuspecting users by sending emails that ask for sensitive information.

The ACMA underscores that institutions such as banks will never ask for financial details over the phone.

Key Takeaways

• A family of five has lost almost $80,000 in a spoofing scam.
• The scammer called Rachel Jorgensen, pretending to be a Suncorp Bank employee, and told her that her bank account had been compromised.
• The scammer then talked Rachel through increasing her daily transaction limit and made three strange transactions totalling almost $80,000.
• The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp but could not reach the fraud team. After a week, $21,000 had been recovered but they were told the case was closed.
• Suncorp says it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another bank account no matter how legitimate the request may seem.

It is advised for Aussies to immediately drop calls that sound suspicious and reach services like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s ScamWatch and IDCare.

You may also be on the lookout for more of these nasty scams by checking our Scam Watch forum.

What is your reaction to the Jorgensens story? Have you encountered a suspicious call in the past asking for something similar? What did you do?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences below!

Source: YouTube/7News Australia​

I know the feeling, just on 3yrs ago I lost just over $300,000. and nobody could help me.

 

[Jsmile (*๓´╰╯`๓)]

Losing money can be a devastating experience, whether it’s a few hundred dollars or even tens of thousands.

Sadly, this was the reality for one family of five who lost around $80,000 in just a matter of minutes to a tricky spoofing scam.

It all started on November 13 when Rachel Jorgensen was out shopping for groceries.

Suddenly, her phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone claiming to be an employee of Suncorp Bank.

According to the employee, Rachel and her husband Michael’s account had been compromised, so, they would need to transfer funds to a new account.

‘She spoke to me about it and said to the guy on the phone, “Look, how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Michael said.

At a glance, the alleged employee was calling from a number that matched Suncorp’s.

What’s more, messages sent by the employee appeared in the same message thread as the bank’s on Rachel’s phone, which made a convincing case that the person they were in contact with was indeed a Suncorp employee.

View attachment 10134

Rachel and Michael Jorgensen are in disbelief after a scammer tricked them by phone. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

The employee managed to persuade Rachel into increasing her daily transaction limit.

Soon enough, Rachel came to a conclusion you probably have at this point: the man was a fraud.

But it was too late for the mum of three — unauthorised transactions had already been stealing their money.

‘It was three separate transactions totalling almost $80,000,’ Rachel shared.

Michael added: ‘It was devastating. Our hearts sank. We’re just like “What’ll this do to us and our three kids?”’

The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp to flag the scammer and prevent further damage to their account, but to make matters worse, the couple claimed they could not reach the bank’s fraud team.

‘We were on the phone for over four hours to them and their different departments trying to create some sort of urgency and to figure out what to do next,’ said Rachel.

After a week’s worth of waiting, Rachel and Michael managed to retrieve $21,000 before the bank closed the case.

Understandably, the couple is upset over the $59,000 that remains up in the air.

‘It’s been disgusting,’ Michael said of the way their case was handled.

‘We’ve been loyal customers of theirs over the last 12 years, we have lots of accounts and insurances with them, and their duty of care is just not there,’ Rachel added in dismay.

View attachment 10136

Rachel received messages from the scammer appearing under Suncorp’s number. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

In a statement, Suncorp addressed the crucial delay in reaching their fraud team that the Jorgensens alleged.

‘The customer’s inability to speak directly to a fraud team member did not inhibit recovery action.’ the bank said.

‘Our process is designed to be recovery-focused, we prioritise contacting the other bank to which the payments were sent.’

Suncorp also warned that it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another account regardless of how legitimate messages may seem.

We hope the Jorgensens get most, if not all, of their hard-earned money back.

Now, you might be thinking: ‘How did those scammers pretend to be Suncorp?’

The answer is called ‘spoofing’.

Spoofing is defined in general as someone assuming characteristics from another person or institution to take on a fake identity.

What happened in the case of the Jorgensens is called Caller ID spoofing, where scammers assumed the identity of Suncorp by phone.

They do this by using services that allow the masking of information sent to the caller ID function that phones use.

View attachment 10135

Suncorp denies that the delays the Jorgensens experienced in reaching their fraud team affected their recovery of the stolen money. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

These services, known here as Calling Line Identification, are legal in Australia according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), except when used for purposes like tricking people out of their money.

Now, what makes Caller ID spoofing more difficult to deal with is that scammers using this method have been known to come prepared. They can tell you information about your account that no one else would know including how much you have or your recent transactions.

It’s unknown how they manage to come by this information, but one popular theory is they manage to do so by phishing the details right out of unsuspecting users by sending emails that ask for sensitive information.

The ACMA underscores that institutions such as banks will never ask for financial details over the phone.

Key Takeaways

• A family of five has lost almost $80,000 in a spoofing scam.
• The scammer called Rachel Jorgensen, pretending to be a Suncorp Bank employee, and told her that her bank account had been compromised.
• The scammer then talked Rachel through increasing her daily transaction limit and made three strange transactions totalling almost $80,000.
• The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp but could not reach the fraud team. After a week, $21,000 had been recovered but they were told the case was closed.
• Suncorp says it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another bank account no matter how legitimate the request may seem.

It is advised for Aussies to immediately drop calls that sound suspicious and reach services like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s ScamWatch and IDCare.

You may also be on the lookout for more of these nasty scams by checking our Scam Watch forum.

What is your reaction to the Jorgensens story? Have you encountered a suspicious call in the past asking for something similar? What did you do?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences below!

Source: YouTube/7News Australia​

Losing money can be a devastating experience, whether it’s a few hundred dollars or even tens of thousands.

Sadly, this was the reality for one family of five who lost around $80,000 in just a matter of minutes to a tricky spoofing scam.

It all started on November 13 when Rachel Jorgensen was out shopping for groceries.

Suddenly, her phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone claiming to be an employee of Suncorp Bank.

According to the employee, Rachel and her husband Michael’s account had been compromised, so, they would need to transfer funds to a new account.

‘She spoke to me about it and said to the guy on the phone, “Look, how do I know that you’re not a scammer yourself?”’ Michael said.

At a glance, the alleged employee was calling from a number that matched Suncorp’s.

What’s more, messages sent by the employee appeared in the same message thread as the bank’s on Rachel’s phone, which made a convincing case that the person they were in contact with was indeed a Suncorp employee.

View attachment 10134

Rachel and Michael Jorgensen are in disbelief after a scammer tricked them by phone. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

The employee managed to persuade Rachel into increasing her daily transaction limit.

Soon enough, Rachel came to a conclusion you probably have at this point: the man was a fraud.

But it was too late for the mum of three — unauthorised transactions had already been stealing their money.

‘It was three separate transactions totalling almost $80,000,’ Rachel shared.

Michael added: ‘It was devastating. Our hearts sank. We’re just like “What’ll this do to us and our three kids?”’

The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp to flag the scammer and prevent further damage to their account, but to make matters worse, the couple claimed they could not reach the bank’s fraud team.

‘We were on the phone for over four hours to them and their different departments trying to create some sort of urgency and to figure out what to do next,’ said Rachel.

After a week’s worth of waiting, Rachel and Michael managed to retrieve $21,000 before the bank closed the case.

Understandably, the couple is upset over the $59,000 that remains up in the air.

‘It’s been disgusting,’ Michael said of the way their case was handled.

‘We’ve been loyal customers of theirs over the last 12 years, we have lots of accounts and insurances with them, and their duty of care is just not there,’ Rachel added in dismay.

View attachment 10136

Rachel received messages from the scammer appearing under Suncorp’s number. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

In a statement, Suncorp addressed the crucial delay in reaching their fraud team that the Jorgensens alleged.

‘The customer’s inability to speak directly to a fraud team member did not inhibit recovery action.’ the bank said.

‘Our process is designed to be recovery-focused, we prioritise contacting the other bank to which the payments were sent.’

Suncorp also warned that it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another account regardless of how legitimate messages may seem.

We hope the Jorgensens get most, if not all, of their hard-earned money back.

Now, you might be thinking: ‘How did those scammers pretend to be Suncorp?’

The answer is called ‘spoofing’.

Spoofing is defined in general as someone assuming characteristics from another person or institution to take on a fake identity.

What happened in the case of the Jorgensens is called Caller ID spoofing, where scammers assumed the identity of Suncorp by phone.

They do this by using services that allow the masking of information sent to the caller ID function that phones use.

View attachment 10135

Suncorp denies that the delays the Jorgensens experienced in reaching their fraud team affected their recovery of the stolen money. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/7News Australia

These services, known here as Calling Line Identification, are legal in Australia according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), except when used for purposes like tricking people out of their money.

Now, what makes Caller ID spoofing more difficult to deal with is that scammers using this method have been known to come prepared. They can tell you information about your account that no one else would know including how much you have or your recent transactions.

It’s unknown how they manage to come by this information, but one popular theory is they manage to do so by phishing the details right out of unsuspecting users by sending emails that ask for sensitive information.

The ACMA underscores that institutions such as banks will never ask for financial details over the phone.

Key Takeaways

• A family of five has lost almost $80,000 in a spoofing scam.
• The scammer called Rachel Jorgensen, pretending to be a Suncorp Bank employee, and told her that her bank account had been compromised.
• The scammer then talked Rachel through increasing her daily transaction limit and made three strange transactions totalling almost $80,000.
• The Jorgensens immediately contacted Suncorp but could not reach the fraud team. After a week, $21,000 had been recovered but they were told the case was closed.
• Suncorp says it will never ask customers to transfer funds to another bank account no matter how legitimate the request may seem.

It is advised for Aussies to immediately drop calls that sound suspicious and reach services like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s ScamWatch and IDCare.

You may also be on the lookout for more of these nasty scams by checking our Scam Watch forum.

What is your reaction to the Jorgensens story? Have you encountered a suspicious call in the past asking for something similar? What did you do?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences below!

Source: YouTube/7News Australia​

I hope banks can at least provide a phone line for instant freezing of accounts or better still, a scam/fraud line, if they could not get enough staff to answer all banking enquiries.