Reported on Ch7 Weiters was scammed out of a significant amount of money via a fake NAB text and phone call.
Reported on Ch7 Weiters was scammed out of a significant amount of money via a fake NAB text and phone call.
Sympathies to Weiters. I had a narrow escape a couple of months ago but at the last minute I pulled the pin on the electronic dialog and went into the branch the next day. The staff there confirmed that the calls and texts were not from the bank. Just hope that all the branches are not closed down!
Sympathies to Weiters. I had a narrow escape a couple of months ago but at the last minute I pulled the pin on the electronic dialog and went into the branch the next day. The staff there confirmed that the calls and texts were not from the bank. Just hope that all the branches are not closed down!
I essentially no longer take calls from any organisation. I call them if I need to. As for texts and emails with links? Delete.
Wow. I thought weiters was smarter than that.
No wonder we are crap.
That's enough to throw anyone off their game.
That's enough to throw anyone off their game.
Yes, it was reported that unfortunately, the money is gone and he isn't getting it back.
Wow. I thought weiters was smarter than that.
No wonder we are crap.
That’ll make him feel a lot better.
These guys talk with their managers at least every second day, surely he mentioned something to his manager and or financial advisor???
I essentially no longer take calls from any organisation. I call them if I need to. As for texts and emails with links? Delete.
Likewise. If I don't know the number then I don't answer it... if it's legit, they'll leave a message. The end. Same with text messages... unfamiliar - delete. The end.
Wow. I thought weiters was smarter than that.
No wonder we are crap.
Probably a bit harsh there Thry. It can happen to anyone, especially a professional sportsman with a million footy related things on his mind. It only takes one brain fade.
Likewise. If I don't know the number then I don't answer it... if it's legit, they'll leave a message. The end. Same with text messages... unfamiliar - delete. The end.
That’s what I normally do Baggers but beware of spoof caller ids.
I essentially no longer take calls from any organisation. I call them if I need to. As for texts and emails with links? Delete.
Ditto....I dont even ring much ...only deal in branch, hence I dont deal with any company that doesnt have a proper set of branches that I can physically walk into. The NAB text scam has been around for a while and NAB have sent a few warning messages out...
Probably a bit harsh there Thry. It can happen to anyone, especially a professional sportsman with a million footy related things on his mind. It only takes one brain fade.
That’ll make him feel a lot better.
I get it, fans want to molly coddle, but these scams have been flying around for a while and I expect better from one of the smartest players in our team.
I get it, fans want to molly coddle, but these scams have been flying around for a while and I expect better from one of the smartest players in our team.
Good grief, you’re only as smart as your last distracted click…
No one’s organising a gofundme, ease up.
I get it, fans want to molly coddle, but these scams have been flying around for a while and I expect better from one of the smartest players in our team.
Hubris has a tendency to bite the hand that feeds it.
Scams are becoming pretty sophisticated, I wouldn't dare think I won't be the next one scammed and I hope you don't suffer such a fate.
I read in a tech journal the other day about the new uses of AI that crooks are implementing. In the USA with AI now picking up speed, if you have enough cash to buy a HPC you setup a private system, from just a very very small audio sample the crooks can copy a loved ones voice, and then conduct a real-time phone call conversation with the target victim using another persons voice. The scam is they ring a loved ones close relative to collect an audio sample, the AI can then from the sample it gathers convert spoken words into the sampled voice in real time. It is like the "Mum I lost my phone" scam amplified 1000x to the point you are going to have to distrust a loved one ringing for help.
Good grief, you’re only as smart as your last distracted click…
No one’s organising a gofundme, ease up.
So much of the kids live and die by what happens online now, far more get scammed than they realise, and anyone who knows a smidgen about cyber crime knows nobody is safe.
The big problem globally is that Russia and North Korea basically fund state activities using cyber crime. North Korea have pulled off massive heists cleaning out bullion and cash from even the reserve banks of countries, all protected by people who think it couldn't happen to them!
There was a great documentary made about this a couple of years back, it is called the Lazarus Heist, have a listen! To cover their tracks, the Russians basically make all the same tools freely available on the Dark Web, the more people that use them the greater the smokescreen for their own activities.
The only thing that keeps you safe, is not attracting the crooks attention.
Jacob Weitering was both very studious and very academic at school, a good student who actually prioritised his studies over football. He scored highly in ATAR, he's not one to be gullible or careless. The people that scammed Weiters didn't do it with a simple click of a mouse, they apparently set him up over months of messages and correspondance.
I get it, fans want to molly coddle, but these scams have been flying around for a while and I expect better from one of the smartest players in our team.
I know quite a few very smart/ intelligent people that don't have a practical bone in their body. Everyone will be scammed at one point. Luckily for me, it has only been 2.5K for an organisation that I work for so far.
It was reported that the scammers appeared extremely legit after receiving a series of text s and phone calls, he transferred all his life savings into what they called a safeguard account over a period of a week. He transferred his daily limit every day until his accounts were empty.
Poor bugger, didn't tell anyone at first.
DO NOT TAKE CALLS OR TEXTS FROM ANYONE YOU DONT KNOW AND BY THAT I MEAN ONLY FRIENDS?CONTACTS.
It was reported that the scammers appeared extremely legit after receiving a series of text s and phone calls, he transferred all his life savings into what they called a safeguard account over a period of a week. He transferred his daily limit every day until his accounts were empty.
Poor bugger, didn't tell anyone at first.
DO NOT TAKE CALLS OR TEXTS FROM ANYONE YOU DONT KNOW AND BY THAT I MEAN ONLY FRIENDS?CONTACTS.
It's a common smishing scam where you are told your account has been hacked and the bank want to put your money in a holding account while they create a new one for you. It's not new and that's why I am surprised an intelligent bloke like Weitering got caught in the scam..
Hubris has a tendency to bite the hand that feeds it.
Scams are becoming pretty sophisticated, I wouldn't dare think I won't be the next one scammed and I hope you don't suffer such a fate.
I read in a tech journal the other day about the new uses of AI that crooks are implementing. In the USA with AI now picking up speed, if you have enough cash to buy a HPC you setup a private system, from just a very very small audio sample the crooks can copy a loved ones voice, and then conduct a real-time phone call conversation with the target victim using another persons voice. The scam is they ring a loved ones close relative to collect an audio sample, the AI can then from the sample it gathers convert spoken words into the sampled voice in real time. It is like the "Mum I lost my phone" scam amplified 1000x to the point you are going to have to distrust a loved one ringing for help.
It's not hubris. It's a cynical world view. No one called me and offered me anything that didn't have something in it for them. If I don't initiate contact everything is a scam, and there are some basics that people can follow to protect themselves in these situations such as trust but verify.
Thats not to say I won't ever get scammed.
You know it's interesting, here I am seeing how Jacob screwed himself over yet for some reason people are saying oh it could happen to anyone which is precisely why I'm dissapointed. Everyone thinks not me, but the reality is you are all next and simply believing that there is a bridge in Nigeria for sale is one of the problems.
It was reported that the scammers appeared extremely legit after receiving a series of text s and phone calls, he transferred all his life savings into what they called a safeguard account over a period of a week. He transferred his daily limit every day until his accounts were empty.
Poor bugger, didn't tell anyone at first.
DO NOT TAKE CALLS OR TEXTS FROM ANYONE YOU DONT KNOW AND BY THAT I MEAN ONLY FRIENDS?CONTACTS.
I read recently that the young and aged are the best/most vulnerable targets as one is familiar (grew up with this advanced technology) with this 'new' tech and more likely to trust, and the aged are at the other end of this... naive and hence trusting.
Personally, with every single unknown or unfamiliar communication, either on my phone or email, I start with significant suspicion and delete it or block the number. And if I have any real concern, I call the bank, private health insurer... whoever, directly and inquire.
Then there is another area of concern. About 12 months ago I noticed a suspicious debit on our cc of $99. We immediately reported it to the bank as unfamiliar and a potential fraud. Within 3 days the bank notified us that it was indeed a fraud and a week later we got our loot back. Turns out that someone who'd taken a legitimate phone order from us kept our cc details and commenced a spending spree with our cc details, and others. I guess the employer of this person also got in strife for not protecting cc info correctly/sufficiently.
That's not the first experience with this and skimmers are effing pond scum. If such a betrayal of trust occurs the system collapses. They need to be dealt with very, very harshly.
About a month ago I had one calling me every name under the sun after I kept him on the phone for 40 minutes before telling him the screen says "Your parents should have had an abortion."
My problem is that I’m so attractive that I keep on getting email notifications that random women are messaging me on Google Chat (even though I haven’t uploaded any pics and don’t use that service).
You know it's interesting, here I am seeing how Jacob screwed himself over yet for some reason people are saying oh it could happen to anyone which is precisely why I'm dissapointed. Everyone thinks not me, but the reality is you are all next and simply believing that there is a bridge in Nigeria for sale is one of the problems.
Weiters was fundamentally a victim of a confidence scam, in the physical world this would be the art of grifters.
The fact it's done with the assistance of some code or IT hardware doesn't really change it, and being IT savvy or educated doesn't really make anyone much safer. The problem with confidence scams is that they are frameworks that fit a circumstance, if you fit the circumstance you are potentially a victim, it may just be luck of the draw one way or the other.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
In this online era most peoples fortune and wellbeing hangs by a thread of copper or gold, micron scale wires that connect everything from the networks we use the devices we store our data on. Our familiarity forms over confidence, we are just so use to the gadgets working time after time after time.
But if that tiny little metallic thread was the only thing preserving your physical life would you trust it like a harness or a safety line?
Yet you do daily, perhaps the vehicle you travel in steers, brakes or accelerates by wire. There is the cloud storage that keeps your precious family photos safely archived, and your financial data secure, all run by a tiny thread like wire of gold or copper.
Don't trust it, for the very same reason those of us dealing with IT regularly tell you to backup, backup, backup, never put all your eggs in one basket, that basket may be hanging by a thread!
When I was working for / with a major local R&D Institute, they got hacked by China. They eventually found the cause, a tiny tiny little electronic device, smaller than the full stop at the end of this sentence. Inserted in a serial communications wire and set to rebroadcast data to the it's masters. This little silicon chip turned up everywhere, in phones, routers, APs, you name it, if it had a chance of transmitting or receiving it was probably there. Not all data, that would be too obtrusive, just some important stuff like the odd password or username. In the end I think the saga got a China based telecoms company banned.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/17/iran-siemens-stuxnet-cyber-attack
Cyber warfare has been going on for a while now.
Weiters was fundamentally a victim of a confidence scam, in the physical world this would be the art of grifters.
The fact it's done with the assistance of some code or IT hardware doesn't really change it, and being IT savvy or educated doesn't really make anyone much safer. The problem with confidence scams is that they are frameworks that fit a circumstance, if you fit the circumstance you are potentially a victim, it may just be luck of the draw one way or the other.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Tend to disagree, IT folk are less likely to get scammed because during the course of their job they run into trojans, virus issues, phishing emails as they sort out client problems and deal with this stuff everyday and are usually up to date with the latest scams and remote controlling software so they in turn have the right virus software and are more vigilant with their own personal equipment. A lot of it is common sense, you just dont click links or respond to stuff you are not sure about....check your bank accounts on another device, know how much you have in each account.
Weitering isnt your average IQ footballer as you say, he was a smart cookie at school and would be feeling highly embarrassed and I give him a lot of credit for making his problems public and trying to help other folk.
Lucky for him he has the means to earn that money back fairly quickly and can still look forward to a bright financial future...
Weiters was fundamentally a victim of a confidence scam, in the physical world this would be the art of grifters.
The fact it's done with the assistance of some code or IT hardware doesn't really change it, and being IT savvy or educated doesn't really make anyone much safer. The problem with confidence scams is that they are frameworks that fit a circumstance, if you fit the circumstance you are potentially a victim, it may just be luck of the draw one way or the other.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
weiters was fundamentally naive.
This is a him issue. The world has been exploited and manipulatd by whatever you want to call them since the dawn of time and the digital platform gives them more means to contact you but even more ways for you to protect yourself. I.e. had he just looked at the app of his financial institution the account he was transferring into wouldn't be listed in his accounts, then hang up, and contact the bank directly and fact check any claims. Was his account frozen? Nope he could transfer money.
I referenced the Nigeria airport scam for a reason. It happened a long time ago and all it took was a salesman contacting a banker in Brazil.
Thats all this is. He fell for a social engineering scam and wilfully involved himself. These people can't get you if you don't do it. Ergo you have the ability to stop it which is why I have an apparent lack of sympathy for Jacob and his plight. Speak to people about whats happening. Don't do this stuff over the phone and verify you are speaking to someone from that bank and I don't mean calling the number they give you!!!
Not sure why people are saying I'm on the wrong track here. This is 99% jacobs fault for being exploited. Call it victim shaming if you like but without his involvement this doesn't happen. Only person I know these days who is surprised by the volume of spam they receive is my mother.
Tend to disagree, IT folk are less likely to get scammed because during the course of their job they run into trojans, virus issues, phishing emails as they sort out client problems and deal with this stuff everyday and are usually up to date with the latest scams and remote controlling software so they in turn have the right virus software and are more vigilant with their own personal equipment. A lot of it is common sense, you just dont click links or respond to stuff you are not sure about....check your bank accounts on another device, know how much you have in each account.
Weitering isnt your average IQ footballer as you say, he was a smart cookie at school and would be feeling highly embarrassed and I give him a lot of credit for making his problems public and trying to help other folk.
Lucky for him he has the means to earn that money back fairly quickly and can still look forward to a bright financial future...
Yep, experience is everything, most people who get done over like this it's on their very first exposure to this stuff.
It's too easy to say the victims should know better, not just for this type of crime but for any crime.
As for Weitering, it looks to me like we have the right type of people in the leadership group. Most would hide away in the corner cupboard not wanting to be embarrassed or to lose face. Instead he has stepped forward with a message to stop this happening to other people. Can you imagine all the self-righteous numpties he has been exposed to since going public with this?
More guts in his actions than most people and by some margin!
I read recently that the young and aged are the best/most vulnerable targets as one is familiar (grew up with this advanced technology) with this 'new' tech and more likely to trust, and the aged are at the other end of this... naive and hence trusting.
Personally, with every single unknown or unfamiliar communication, either on my phone or email, I start with significant suspicion and delete it or block the number. And if I have any real concern, I call the bank, private health insurer... whoever, directly and inquire.
Then there is another area of concern. About 12 months ago I noticed a suspicious debit on our cc of $99. We immediately reported it to the bank as unfamiliar and a potential fraud. Within 3 days the bank notified us that it was indeed a fraud and a week later we got our loot back. Turns out that someone who'd taken a legitimate phone order from us kept our cc details and commenced a spending spree with our cc details, and others. I guess the employer of this person also got in strife for not protecting cc info correctly/sufficiently.
I had a somewhat similar experience.
Noticed dodgy transactions on one of my accounts - one i have setup for one of my kids.
A few payments coming out for fuel or gas or something.
Notified the bank who said it was unusual. Got it sorted rather quickly.
However, the mystery remains on how they were able to get access to that account in the first place.
1. I'm the only one that knows about it - not even my wife has the details.
2. There is no card for that account, nor has their ever been.
3. I've never paid anything from that account, ever, its a savings only account.
So how anyone got access to it is a complete mystery....and the bank agreed.
I had my Paypal hacked a few years back, it was used to buy gaming time on a European website and at some adult shop in England😉
I got email receipts for the transactions which alerted me so I rang Paypal and they were very good and refunded my money.
I had my credit card linked and that was the main problem as I normally dont carry much money in my account and only fund it when I have to. I unlinked my credit card so it doesnt happen again. Paypal of course are Ebay which is the Commonwealth Bank and were surprisingly efficient.
It is a terrible experience to be ripped off for any amount in this way but I'm not sure how many people on $600k per year would have their 'life savings' in a bank account. Surely he has a financial advisor who has diversified his earnings into different investment areas and money 'in a bank account' would be a workable amount. Also daily limits would generally be around $10k, so over 6 days is around $60k. I'm not saying that such a loss is not significant and would keep you awake at night but I think the collateral damage might be less than people think.
I had my Paypal hacked a few years back, it was used to buy gaming time on a European website and at some adult shop in England😉
I got email receipts for the transactions which alerted me so I rang Paypal and they were very good and refunded my money.
I had my credit card linked and that was the main problem as I normally dont carry much money in my account and only fund it when I have to. I unlinked my credit card so it doesnt happen again. Paypal of course are Ebay which is the Commonwealth Bank and were surprisingly efficient.
Same type of thing happened to me a few years ago EB. Someone in the US bought a laptop for $1500 using my account. PayPal refunded the money without question but it took 30 days.
Probably a bit harsh there Thry. It can happen to anyone, especially a professional sportsman with a million footy related things on his mind. It only takes one brain fade.
Maybe. However the money was transferred in several lots, not all at once. So first thing you do is call the bank and check. Its been reported many many times banks do not send you text messages and ask you to transfer money to another account.
So much of the kids live and die by what happens online now, far more get scammed than they realise, and anyone who knows a smidgen about cyber crime knows nobody is safe.
The big problem globally is that Russia and North Korea basically fund state activities using cyber crime. North Korea have pulled off massive heists cleaning out bullion and cash from even the reserve banks of countries, all protected by people who think it couldn't happen to them!
There was a great documentary made about this a couple of years back, it is called the Lazarus Heist, have a listen! To cover their tracks, the Russians basically make all the same tools freely available on the Dark Web, the more people that use them the greater the smokescreen for their own activities.
The only thing that keeps you safe, is not attracting the crooks attention.
Jacob Weitering was both very studious and very academic at school, a good student who actually prioritised his studies over football. He scored highly in ATAR, he's not one to be gullible or careless. The people that scammed Weiters didn't do it with a simple click of a mouse, they apparently set him up over months of messages and correspondance.
And not once did he ring his bank to check on this.?
Golden rule always call your institution first no matter what.
weiters was fundamentally naive.
This is a him issue. The world has been exploited and manipulatd by whatever you want to call them since the dawn of time and the digital platform gives them more means to contact you but even more ways for you to protect yourself. I.e. had he just looked at the app of his financial institution the account he was transferring into wouldn't be listed in his accounts, then hang up, and contact the bank directly and fact check any claims. Was his account frozen? Nope he could transfer money. BINGO
I referenced the Nigeria airport scam for a reason. It happened a long time ago and all it took was a salesman contacting a banker in Brazil.
Thats all this is. He fell for a social engineering scam and wilfully involved himself. These people can't get you if you don't do it. Ergo you have the ability to stop it which is why I have an apparent lack of sympathy for Jacob and his plight. Speak to people about whats happening. Don't do this stuff over the phone and verify you are speaking to someone from that bank and I don't mean calling the number they give you!!!
Not sure why people are saying I'm on the wrong track here. This is 99% jacobs fault for being exploited. Call it victim shaming if you like but without his involvement this doesn't happen. Only person I know these days who is surprised by the volume of spam they receive is my mother.
About a month ago I had one calling me every name under the sun after I kept him on the phone for 40 minutes before telling him the screen says "Your parents should have had an abortion."
Haha very funny. Don't have the patience to do that. I just tell them to foff and hang up if I pickup the call at all.
Just want to qualify something, I do feel sorry for Jacob or anyone who gets scammed, however the simple fact is that you are responsible for your actions and there are many many warnings from banks, institutions and the ACCC on scams.
I was sent an text message about my city link account and although it looked legit, as I do have a city link account, I still took the time to call them to check and yes it was a scam because I knew that I had paid my account as the money is now taken out after each trip and not at the end of the month like it use to be.
Most important is to be informed.
I don’t think he’s crying “Poor bloody me I need a hug”
From what I’ve read he’s taken responsibility for it and is hoping to help save others the pain.
And not once did he ring his bank to check on this.?
Golden rule always call your institution first no matter what.
He was dealing with the NAB, from what I understand multiple contacts masquerading as NAB, if you already think you are talking to NAB what are you supposed to do?
I'll give you a bigger question to answer, these "banks" as they call themselves go on and on about their security, how they will detect unusual transactions and block accounts. I've had them block my account more than once even for trivial amounts just because I was using it OS while my wife was using it at home, and that was for a trivial amount!
Yet when someone seemingly starts transferring their life saving by the limit day after day into an external / foreign account, a massive amount of money by any standard, the bank delivers crickets?
I'd be saddling up the lawyers, because that is exactly what bank security is supposed to stop, and the bank marketing is full of such claims!
He was dealing with the NAB, from what I understand multiple contacts masquerading as NAB, if you already think you are talking to NAB what are you supposed to do?
I'll give you a bigger question to answer, these "banks" as they call themselves go on and on about their security, how they will detect unusual transactions and block accounts. I've had them block my account more than once even for trivial amounts just because I was using it OS while my wife was using it at home, and that was for a trivial amount!
Yet when someone seemingly starts transferring their life saving by the limit day after day into an external / foreign account, a massive amount of money by any standard, the bank delivers crickets?
I'd be saddling up the lawyers, because that is exactly what bank security is supposed to stop, and the bank marketing is full of such claims!
You go to your local branch and get them to check your stuff out, you are never sure on phone and its too easy to get passed around and not get anywhere. The banks have been sending out scam awareness emails for a while now and they let everyone know their fraud dept number to contact for such events and thats how they cover their Ar$e legally.
Banks buy and sell money thats how they make money and are setup for corporate and institutional banking, mum and dad home accounts are just a minor nuisance in the big scheme of things and are forced upon them by Governments to look after the poor huddled masses. Unless you have real big money with them they dont give a flying feck about your life savings or little bank pension book etc..
It's a software algorithm that flags activity, it takes no effort at all for the bank to implement a check, pause or delay.
If I sell something to a business client and they pay immediately by BSB it takes about 3 or 4 days for that money to appear in my account, yet if a crook gets my cash the bank claim it's gone immediately!
Who are the real crooks? ;)
It's a software algorithm that flags activity, it takes no effort at all for the bank to implement a check, pause or delay.
If I sell something to a business client and they pay immediately by BSB it takes about 3 or 4 days for that money to appear in my account, yet if a crook gets my cash the bank claim it's gone immediately!
Who are the real crooks? ;)
Yep your money is being bought and sold on the money markets before they pay it to you.....if the banks were ever called upon to cover all their debts at once they couldnt do it.
The 250k Government guarantee is rubbish, if the banking sector in Aus collapsed they couldnt pay everyone out...its like car companies and their 7-10 year warranties just a con to lock you into compulsory heavy servicing fees. Banks and Car companies...corporate thieves.
It's a software algorithm that flags activity, it takes no effort at all for the bank to implement a check, pause or delay.
If I sell something to a business client and they pay immediately by BSB it takes about 3 or 4 days for that money to appear in my account, yet if a crook gets my cash the bank claim it's gone immediately!
Who are the real crooks? ;)
While not quite technically correct I agree.
Most of us get immediate transfers though… which the scammers just lurve!
I recently got a text message from the ATO warning that unless I did X, Y and Z, my ABN would be cancelled. I checked the ATO website and found that text messaging was one of the ways the ATO communicates with taxpayers. I was still dubious and not too fussed about my ABN so I did nothing. My ABN has now been cancelled.
A week or so later I got a text from CentreLink advising that I was about to get a call from a number with no caller ID and I should answer the call. I was on another call and didn't answer. Two weeks later I got a letter from CentreLink saying that I didn't answer their phone call and had to fill in a questionnaire.
Ms DJC got a text message last week that said, "Hi Mum, I dropped my phone in the toilet and I'm trying to dry it out. Call me on my old number #$#%^&**+" Both of our children still have their original mobile numbers. A little later Ms DJC got another text saying, "I've got some bills to pay ..." Thousands of Australians have been caught out by that scam,
The scammers are often incompetent and easy to detect. Others are more sophisticated and can suck in the most cautious and IT savvy folk. It's easy to sit back and say that Jacob should have known that it was a scam, but that's not how it works when you're under pressure and think that you're going to lose your money. Banks, internet providers and the phone companies need to do a lot more to make life difficult for the scumbags that stole Jacob's money.
I recently got a text message from the ATO warning that unless I did X, Y and Z, my ABN would be cancelled. I checked the ATO website and found that text messaging was one of the ways the ATO communicates with taxpayers. I was still dubious and not too fussed about my ABN so I did nothing. My ABN has now been cancelled.
A week or so later I got a text from CentreLink advising that I was about to get a call from a number with no caller ID and I should answer the call. I was on another call and didn't answer. Two weeks later I got a letter from CentreLink saying that I didn't answer their phone call and had to fill in a questionnaire.
Ms DJC got a text message last week that said, "Hi Mum, I dropped my phone in the toilet and I'm trying to dry it out. Call me on my old number #$#%^&**+" Both of our children still have their original mobile numbers. A little later Ms DJC got another text saying, "I've got some bills to pay ..." Thousands of Australians have been caught out by that scam,
The scammers are often incompetent and easy to detect. Others are more sophisticated and can suck in the most cautious and IT savvy folk. It's easy to sit back and say that Jacob should have known that it was a scam, but that's not how it works when you're under pressure and think that you're going to lose your money. Banks, internet providers and the phone companies need to do a lot more to make life difficult for the scumbags that stole Jacob's money.
Sorry DJC. that's not really good enough.
Yes these institutions need to protect people, but we all have a personal responsibility to fa t check we aren't being hoodwinked, and that is easily done simply by reaching out and talking to people.
The bank calls? No worries take down the details of who called you and then state I will not divulge anything to you and then contact the bank on their publicly listed contact number not what is provided to you by the scammer.
The ato messages? You call the ATO. verify they want to talk to you.
Same goes for anything. Unsolicited contact must be verified.
I feel for Jacob and anyone scammed but this whole its easily explained situation because I dont have time or under pressure is precisely the feeling the scammers aim to generate and then use to their advantage.
People having moments of weakness need to recognise those moments and play cautious not simply go along with it. Every situation is able to be fact checked. Externalising the blame is the easy way out. Why wasn't I protected?
Because you didn't protect yourself is the answer.
Sony got hacked. They lost everyone's details. They came clean told us all to change our passwords. I failed to do so and eventually my playstation account was hacked. It was linked to PayPal and they were able to purchase some games impersonating me. My fault, I didn't change my password but Sony's fault for getting hacked to begin with. Sony wore the responsibility for getting hacked. Luckily they were good about it and refunded my money but if they weren't that was still my fault for not taking ownership of my credentials and changing my password.
If you leave your house without locking up and someone helps themselves to your property, that's not just people's fault for being thieves or cops fault for not protecting you, that's your fault for not locking up too.
Sorry DJC. that's not really good enough.
Yes these institutions need to protect people, but we all have a personal responsibility to fa t check we aren't being hoodwinked, and that is easily done simply by reaching out and talking to people.
The bank calls? No worries take down the details of who called you and then state I will not divulge anything to you and then contact the bank on their publicly listed contact number not what is provided to you by the scammer.
The ato messages? You call the ATO. verify they want to talk to you.
Same goes for anything. Unsolicited contact must be verified.
I feel for Jacob and anyone scammed but this whole its easily explained situation because I dont have time or under pressure is precisely the feeling the scammers aim to generate and then use to their advantage.
People having moments of weakness need to recognise those moments and play cautious not simply go along with it. Every situation is able to be fact checked. Externalising the blame is the easy way out. Why wasn't I protected?
Because you didn't protect yourself is the answer.
Sony got hacked. They lost everyone's details. They came clean told us all to change our passwords. I failed to do so and eventually my playstation account was hacked. It was linked to PayPal and they were able to purchase some games impersonating me. My fault, I didn't change my password but Sony's fault for getting hacked to begin with. Sony wore the responsibility for getting hacked. Luckily they were good about it and refunded my money but if they weren't that was still my fault for not taking ownership of my credentials and changing my password.
If you leave your house without locking up and someone helps themselves to your property, that's not just people's fault for being thieves or cops fault for not protecting you, that's your fault for not locking up too.
🤣🤣
When was the last time you called and spoke to someone at the ATO ?
It’s almost impossible to speak to a person nowadays, let alone call and ask to speak to “Tom, Dick or Harry”
You’re living in a dream world.
🤣🤣
When was the last time you called and spoke to someone at the ATO ?
It’s almost impossible to speak to a person nowadays, let alone call and ask to speak to “Tom, Dick or Harry”
You’re living in a dream world.
Try ringing Telstra NB.....you would be lucky if it was a Tom, Dick, or Harry, and they were in Australia and you could understand them.
Iinet has departed hosting email for private domains.
They gave me 6-8 weeks notice of an end date for email and I had to migrate elsewhere, after 2.5 hrs on hold I just gave up on asking for tech support…
Eventually got it elsewhere and working.
Iinet has departed hosting email for private domains.
They gave me 6-8 weeks notice of an end date for email and I had to migrate elsewhere, after 2.5 hrs on hold I just gave up on asking for tech support…
Eventually got it elsewhere and working.
My comments on Telstra were based on a 4 hour conversation with three help desk staff and I asked why my email address didnt work. They passed me around to each other, made me login numerous times , change passwords then informed me my email account had disappeared and wasnt active anymore and that Telstra are not creating any new email accounts using old domain details so I would have to find another provider and was there anything else they could do for me. When I explained they got a decent amount of money from me every month for NBN access, mobile contracts and home phone they said they still couldnt help.
Sorry DJC. that's not really good enough.
Yes these institutions need to protect people, but we all have a personal responsibility to fa t check we aren't being hoodwinked, and that is easily done simply by reaching out and talking to people.
The bank calls? No worries take down the details of who called you and then state I will not divulge anything to you and then contact the bank on their publicly listed contact number not what is provided to you by the scammer.
The ato messages? You call the ATO. verify they want to talk to you.
Same goes for anything. Unsolicited contact must be verified.
I feel for Jacob and anyone scammed but this whole its easily explained situation because I dont have time or under pressure is precisely the feeling the scammers aim to generate and then use to their advantage.
People having moments of weakness need to recognise those moments and play cautious not simply go along with it. Every situation is able to be fact checked. Externalising the blame is the easy way out. Why wasn't I protected?
Because you didn't protect yourself is the answer.
Sony got hacked. They lost everyone's details. They came clean told us all to change our passwords. I failed to do so and eventually my playstation account was hacked. It was linked to PayPal and they were able to purchase some games impersonating me. My fault, I didn't change my password but Sony's fault for getting hacked to begin with. Sony wore the responsibility for getting hacked. Luckily they were good about it and refunded my money but if they weren't that was still my fault for not taking ownership of my credentials and changing my password.
If you leave your house without locking up and someone helps themselves to your property, that's not just people's fault for being thieves or cops fault for not protecting you, that's your fault for not locking up too.
You're probably right Thry ... in an ideal world. But, in an ideal world, the ATO and CentreLink don't send you text messages and don't make it almost impossible to speak to a real person within a reasonable time.
I've never been scammed but I have had abusive phone calls after not following a scammer's instructions to give him control of my computer. I am careful with passwords, use a separate account for online transactions, and diligently report scams, phishing attempts and unauthorised transactions but I shouldn't have to be. Financial institutions, telcos, internet providers and government agencies should really be on top of this, and it's not hard to build in extra levels of security in any IT application.
It really doesn't matter whether you lock your house or not because thieves will gain entry almost as quickly. It's the alarm and security system monitoring that stops the bastards getting away with your stuff. I shouldn't have to have an alarm system and security monitoring but locks only keep honest people out.
When my business name rego is up for renewal I get an email from ASIC complete with links to login and renew… 🙄
As for the phone number spoofing, I’m no geek but why do the telcos allow it ?
Even MelbourneIT my www domain register/holder recently were sending me 10 emails a week telling me that they were releasing .AU domains (for sale)
As stated I have a .com.au domain and they were telling me of the dire consequences of me not purchasing a .au domain to match my .com.au !
Someone could register my domain as a .au and impersonate my business, but only if they paid MelbourneIT $120 a year…
An eg is: www.carltonsc.com this site.
What they’ve done is to allow: www.carltonsc.au
Does the bank have some responsibility here? I realise Weiters himself transferred the money but I was thinking yesterday that he stated he transferred the max daily limit out of multiple accounts for a week. You'd think the banks monitors this stuff and could have contacted him to say "Hi Jacob, we noticed you're transferring the max limit out of multiple accounts everyday, is it intentional and is everything ok?" I'm sure that would have rung some alarm bells earlier.
Does the bank have some responsibility here? I realise Weiters himself transferred the money but I was thinking yesterday that he stated he transferred the max daily limit out of multiple accounts for a week. You'd think the banks monitors this stuff and could have contacted him to say "Hi Jacob, we noticed you're transferring the max limit out of multiple accounts everyday, is it intentional and is everything ok?" I'm sure that would have rung some alarm bells earlier.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. My credit union would have been on to it like a ferret on a rat.
Does the bank have some responsibility here? I realise Weiters himself transferred the money but I was thinking yesterday that he stated he transferred the max daily limit out of multiple accounts for a week. You'd think the banks monitors this stuff and could have contacted him to say "Hi Jacob, we noticed you're transferring the max limit out of multiple accounts everyday, is it intentional and is everything ok?" I'm sure that would have rung some alarm bells earlier.
Banks would transfer the money to a holding account with one transaction internally not expect him to withdrawal it every week. That would be a give away it was dodgy.Jacob is a sensible young bloke but I'm still surprised he fell for a scam like this without checking at his local branch face to face and having that first transaction validated.Young people seem more busy and trusting with paying money, I see it with my own kids and have to remind them to be careful.
Banks would transfer the money to a holding account with one transaction internally not expect him to withdrawal it every week. That would be a give away it was dodgy.Jacob is a sensible young bloke but I'm still surprised he fell for a scam like this without checking at his local branch face to face and having that first transaction validated.Young people seem more busy and trusting with paying money, I see it with my own kids and have to remind them to be careful.
He obviously didn't know the procedure and was sucked in by the supposed validity of the callers. If you read his detailed account in the interview he did with Hamish Mac, you can see how he was duped. Point is, the banks should monitor and check on strange transactions by their clients and ask the question.
🤣🤣
When was the last time you called and spoke to someone at the ATO ?
It’s almost impossible to speak to a person nowadays, let alone call and ask to speak to “Tom, Dick or Harry”
You’re living in a dream world.
Not that long ago.
Here is the business I have a vested interest in https://maskarade.com.au/.
Perhaps I have better luck getting through than you do or perhaps it's not as hard as you are making it out to be.
Either way if someone is impersonating a vendor the appropriate thing to do is not to trust them and contact said institutions to verify they want or need something from you.
Not that long ago.
Here is the business I have a vested interest in https://maskarade.com.au/.
Perhaps I have better luck getting through than you do or perhaps it's not as hard as you are making it out to be.
Either way if someone is impersonating a vendor the appropriate thing to do is not to trust them and contact said institutions to verify they want or need something from you.
It depends on what you want to discuss with someone like the ATO.
If it’s a BAS/ABN/tech type enquiry you can usually talk to someone.
Try calling to reschedule a BAS payment… you can’t because it’s a totally automated system.
Try picking up the phone and even finding a number to call about immigration visas, good luck on that, let alone being answered.
As mentioned earlier, the banks red flags should have gone up given the types and frequency of the transactions, Weiters forked up but the bank failed him and others EVERY DAY.
A guy I work with has an upcoming 100k tax bill he will have to pay for capital gains.
He has already received a fake ATO invoice for it. How the hell does that happen?
You would have to think his accountant has been hacked but who knows?
A guy I work with has an upcoming 100k tax bill he will have to pay for capital gains.
He has already received a fake ATO invoice for it. How the hell does that happen?
You would have to think his accountant has been hacked but who knows?
I had a friend who was stitched up by his accountant, an accountant who turned out to be in partnership with the crooks handing out critical intelligence for a spotters fee.
There is very little you can do about this, because the accountant already has all the information they need to stitch you up, and if they turn bad you're stuffed.
Not saying that is the case for you friend, but it happens.
It also happens because anybody can be under the influence of crooks, because of debt, drug addiction, blackmail of all sorts of forms of influence and dependency. One that is more common than people realise is accountants or bureaucrats who have family in a foreign country who are threatened by organised crime.
It depends on what you want to discuss with someone like the ATO.
If it’s a BAS/ABN/tech type enquiry you can usually talk to someone.
Try calling to reschedule a BAS payment… you can’t because it’s a totally automated system.
Try picking up the phone and even finding a number to call about immigration visas, good luck on that, let alone being answered.
Thats a different discussion, and you are deflecting now. Moral of my story is that you can call up and verify information and not get too many delays which was the entire point.
As mentioned earlier, the banks red flags should have gone up given the types and frequency of the transactions, Weiters forked up but the bank failed him and others EVERY DAY.
The banks are there to put some security and structure around money management.
Should they do more is a seperate discussion, but IMHO they don't have to. This isn't on them really. They held the money and executed a transaction they were asked to by their customer.
This mentality of people need to be protected from themselves is my biggest issue with this. Why didn't someone stop me from transferring money out of my own account, to someone else? How is a bank to know that a person is not just conducting regular business, moving institutions, and ever proactively contacted someone from one of these entities? Its not fun.
Thats a different discussion, and you are deflecting now. Moral of my story is that you can call up and verify information and not get too many delays which was the entire point.
I recently spoke to someone at the ATO and it only took two phone calls over two days. However, the ATO actively discourages telephone inquiries and pushes you to online correspondence. The ATO owes me $40 and it’s really not worth my time to pursue it. The same with my ABN, I don’t really need it and it wasn’t worth the effort to stop the process. The crux of the matter is that the ATO relied on an anonymous text message rather than a formal letter to my business address.
The scammers who ripped Weiters off timed it perfectly and used different forms of communication to simulate bank processes. It is a very common and quite successful scam and I heard a caller to the ABC describe how she was nearly snared by the same trap. She is an accountant but was taken in by official-looking correspondence and “verification” phone calls. When she realised that it was a scam and didn’t transfer funds, she copped an earful of abuse from the scammer 🙄
The Feds monitor all transactions over 10k...its mainly to cover money laundering, drug proceeds etc but everything goes across their computer screens. The banks do have procedures for this amount which makes me think Weitering was probably asked for amounts just under this figure which of course is a warning sign if you do your homework.
https://www.hsbc.com.au/content/dam/hsbc/au/docs/pdf/aba-fact-sheet.pdf
When she realised that it was a scam and didn’t transfer funds, she copped an earful of abuse from the scammer 🙄
Copped an earful did she? At that point, I would give them my address and invite them to come meet my friends Pietro Beretta and John Moses Browning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewI-8l0ZCiY&list=PLEYoYKtM02GoT9Zjxzjb7ABCjqpVrnHju
Copped an earful did she? At that point, I would give them my address and invite them to come meet my friends Pietro Beretta and John Moses Browning.
I had a scammer call me back to give me another serve. I remember my son was quite shocked when he heard me tell the fecker how he should get acquainted with a camel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewI-8l0ZCiY&list=PLEYoYKtM02GoT9Zjxzjb7ABCjqpVrnHju
The antihackers at one stage were putting some of these low life scammer's names, addresses, pictures etc on youtube but they were forced to take them down. Apparently they have rights.
I recently spoke to someone at the ATO and it only took two phone calls over two days. However, the ATO actively discourages telephone inquiries and pushes you to online correspondence. The ATO owes me $40 and it’s really not worth my time to pursue it. The same with my ABN, I don’t really need it and it wasn’t worth the effort to stop the process. The crux of the matter is that the ATO relied on an anonymous text message rather than a formal letter to my business address.
The scammers who ripped Weiters off timed it perfectly and used different forms of communication to simulate bank processes. It is a very common and quite successful scam and I heard a caller to the ABC describe how she was nearly snared by the same trap. She is an accountant but was taken in by official-looking correspondence and “verification” phone calls. When she realised that it was a scam and didn’t transfer funds, she copped an earful of abuse from the scammer 🙄
Djc that's not the point. You can call them 7 times in 7 days the point is if you called to fact check a hacker you would get a different experience and this is the appropriate action when you need to verify if you are being hacked.
The antihackers at one stage were putting some of these low life scammer's names, addresses, pictures etc on youtube but they were forced to take them down. Apparently they have rights.
Yep its sad you cant expose these scumbags directly but I guess Google who own Youtube dont want legal problems and want to cover their Ar$e. I believe the Payback Scammer crew report everything to the Feds in the USA who contact their opposite numbers in other countries ie India etc to deal with the scammers. Of Course Russian and Chinese scammers are a lot harder to bring to justice, I believe there is a Russian Payback scammer group who also put Video's on Youtube and try and expose Russian scammers.
Djc that's not the point. You can call them 7 times in 7 days the point is if you called to fact check a hacker you would get a different experience and this is the appropriate action when you need to verify if you are being hacked.
That's incorrect Thry. The ATO doesn't have a scammer hotline and neither do the banks. You can forward dodgy emails or SMSs and you get an automated response.
My original post was about an SMS the ATO sent me. It was legitimate but the only way I could have checked was to wait in a queue or use their online communication app.
Weitering's bank advises customers that they will contact you in the event of suspicious activity. That didn't happen and the scam was sophisticated enough to convince a pretty savvy bloke that it was genuine. It was also timed to coincide with the end of business hours making it even harder to check.
Weitering's bank advises customers that they will contact you in the event of suspicious activity. That didn't happen and the scam was sophisticated enough to convince a pretty savvy bloke that it was genuine. It was also timed to coincide with the end of business hours making it even harder to check.
That did happen though DJ in Weiters mind at least. The crims pretending to be NAB contacted him by latching onto genuine NAB text he already had on his phone.
No matter how sophisticated the scam was, I would like to think if my bank told me to move money out of one of their accounts as it wasn't safe the alarm bells would be ringing. Maybe a move for an offer of better interest rates or loan adjustments etc but to tell me to drip feed, to the daily max, my money into another account seems very suss.
Seems unlikely that a bank would say their accounts are not safe. What, left the safe unlocked...
And in the extreme there was a banking issue like a high level hack, the press would be all over it and moving it around, again on a daily basis, seems odd.
Really feel for the guy, and all victims, but he must be feeling a bit silly, largely because he was.
The sophistication is strong on these scams - I think the bank in Weiters case does bear some responsibility as it is their SMSs that have been latched onto/hacekd/phised whatever it is. Never a more important time to be vigilant.
While there are many operations, many scammers use trafficked people and or bonded labour - ie recruiters promise a bettter world of a job, which means that money can be sent back home to support their family. What they don't disclose that once 'employed' the labourers' passports are confiscated, pay is low and they can't escape. Many disappear if they put up a fuss.
The syndicates have a win win - exploit the poor and the wealthy all at once!
That's incorrect Thry. The ATO doesn't have a scammer hotline and neither do the banks. You can forward dodgy emails or SMSs and you get an automated response.
My original post was about an SMS the ATO sent me. It was legitimate but the only way I could have checked was to wait in a queue or use their online communication app.
Weitering's bank advises customers that they will contact you in the event of suspicious activity. That didn't happen and the scam was sophisticated enough to convince a pretty savvy bloke that it was genuine. It was also timed to coincide with the end of business hours making it even harder to check.
No its not incorrect.
The appropriate action if you think you are being scammed is to reach out to the government entity and get a fact check on the claim.
https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/contact-us/
https://www.ato.gov.au/general/online-services/identity-security-and-scams/Verify-or-report-a-scam/
We will sometimes contact you by phone, email, SMS and post. If you're not sure whether it's really us, do not reply. You should phone us on 1800 008 540 to check.
THIS is the appropriate action if you are suspicious of any correspondence from the ATO.
Might take a while to get through. I've only called it once, and waited the average 20 mins to get through to someone when needed.
Ill let you guys decide who's incorrect or not. I'll leave this be now. There are ways for folk to protect themselves if they are willing to try. If not, then you run the gauntlet of working out how or what correspondance to trust, but be warned, if you are in a situation where you cannot give something the appropriate attention, there are various ways to check and prove what is saying is correct without having to do anything, but if you want to check and triple check if you are being scammed the official entities contacting you will have a method for you to do so.