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Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #30
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #31
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #32
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #33
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.
Reality always wins in the end.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #34
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #35
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #36
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #37
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #38
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #39
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.
Let’s go BIG !

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #40
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!
The Force Awakens!

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #41
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..

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #42
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? ;)
The Force Awakens!

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #43
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.

Re: Weiters scammed

Reply #44
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!
Let’s go BIG !