A Sunshine Coast man in his 80’s contacted Noosa Detectives after being targeted by scammers resulting in the loss of a large amount of money.
The man was contacted several times by a man claiming to be a senior compliance manager of a large bank purporting to sell ‘Capital Protected Fixed Income Government Funds’.
The scammers provided several genuine-looking documents including the bank branding, the names of real bank employees, application instructions, maturity dates, investment thresholds, and FAQ’s.
In this case, the scammer promised unrealistically high returns and created pressure to invest.
In another similar case a victim was contacted by a scammer offering to recover the lost money in return for a large sum of money.
This type of scam can be difficult to spot as the email or documents can appear legitimate.
Police recommend that you contact the bank directly using a known phone number to verify legitimacy before making any investment.
“We also recommend that you prevent your computer systems from being compromised by using up-to-date security and running antivirus software,” a Queensland Police spokesperson said.
Be wary of any bank investment asking to pay funds directly into a bank account.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) have released more information about this scam, at cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/publications/protecting-against-business-email-compromise.
If you have been scammed, you can make a report online via ReportCyber. If you have lost money, notify your bank immediately. To learn more about scams visit scamwatch.gov.au.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24 hours per day at police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
