When Brenda* first noticed a security alert on her computer, she didn’t think it was anything untoward.
But a day later, she would be $100,000 out of pocket.
The 90-year-old, who lives in a retirement village in western Sydney, told 7NEWS.com.au the alert prompted her to call a number to resolve an IT issue.
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“I was given a phone number from Victoria, and so I rang it and a lady named Jade answered and said she was from Apple security,” Brenda said.
“And as she started to ‘fix’ the issue she said ‘Oh we actually need to give you a refund …. a refund of $500 is due to you’, and she said ‘We will need to set up internet banking’ for me.”
Brenda did not yet have internet banking, instead relying on cheques and visits to her local branch to manage her funds.
“Jade” offered to help her set up online banking so Brenda could receive her “refund”.
But all the while, scammers were installing remote access software — which criminals can use to access victims’ devices and information — on Brenda’s computer.
“It took a while and after that was all set up she then told me they had accidentally pressed too many zeros and had refunded me $50,000 not $500,” Brenda said.
“And she told me I had to visit my bank straight away to refund that overpayment back to them.”
‘Very frightened’
Brenda says she became flustered by the conversation with “Jade”, who she described as “very insistent”.
“I was very frightened and scared, and I felt like they were watching me and listening to me,” she said.
The scammers had even managed remote access to Brenda’s computer to transfer $500 from her everyday account into her savings account, so it looked like she had received her $500 refund as promised.
After this, Brenda believed the call was legitimate and that she needed to go her local ANZ branch and follow Jade’s instructions.
“They said I needed to transfer the money into an account labelled as ACN Constructions Pty Ltd NSW,” she said.
“And they told me, if the bank asked, to say it was for renovations.”
So that’s exactly what she did.
Brenda visited her local branch and was ushered into a room.
After a few checks, the bank didn’t see any issues and proceeded with the transfer.
Just like that, Brenda had lost $50,000.
But the phone calls didn’t stop.
“Jade” and another man called Brenda and told her the same thing had happened again, and that she needed to go back to her bank to resolve it.
“She was very insistent that I went straight to the bank, and told me not to confide in anyone or tell anyone what was happening,” she said.
And so the process repeated itself and Brenda again lost another $50,000.
‘How could they let this happen?’
When Brenda told her two sons what had happened, they had the devastating realisation their mother had been scammed.
“We were horrified … Mum has been a customer with ANZ for 60 years, how could they let this happen?” Brenda’s son told 7NEWS.com.au.
“We had felt comfortable that she wouldn’t be scammed because she didn’t have internet banking … but these people actually set it up with her and had access to it.”
When the realisation sunk in, Brenda was completely shaken — and, in hindsight, worried as to how she had missed all the red flags.
“I felt really pressured, and you don’t have time to think it out properly, and you don’t realise what’s happening,” she said.
“People said ‘Well, why didn’t you just hang up’, but I was worried they would have kept ringing me. On the Tuesday, they rang me about 18 times.”
Brenda’s furious son lodged a report with ANZ’s scam line and NSW Police but was told they had to wait 12 weeks for answers.
An ANZ spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au they “continue to work with the banking sector and other industries, regulators and the government to address this issue.”
“ANZ has robust processes and systems in place to protect our customers against fraud and scams,” they said.
“ANZ will never email, call or text message you, asking for personal information like your password, PIN, one-time password (OTP) for payments, RSA token, ANZ Shield or ask you to transfer funds into another account.”
Remote Access Scams
NSW Police warn such scams, known as remote access scams, are being detected in increasing numbers.
Scammers pretend to be from well-known companies or financial institutions and contact victims, asking to access the person’s device remotely.
“They often use the excuse that the device is sending out an error message or has a virus that they need to ‘fix urgently’,” NSW Police said.
The criminals then use various software programs to access the device.
Once the scammer has control of the device, they can access the victim’s financial and personal data and transfer funds out of the person’s account, or even steal their private data.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission list of guidelines to help people protect themselves from scams recommends the following:
- Do not click on any links or open attachments from texts claiming to be from your bank or another trusted organisation and asking you to update or verify your details — just press delete;
- Do an internet search for any references to a similar scam;
- Look for the secure symbol on the website to know if it’s secure;
- Never provide your personal, credit card or online account details if you receive a call claiming to be from your bank or any other organisation. Instead, call your bank to check;
- If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately; and
- Report scams to the ACCC via the report a scam page to help spread the word.
ANZ customers who believe they may have been a victim of a scam should contact the bank immediately, on 13 33 50 or visit their website for more information.
* Not her real name