‘We believe that there are some cyber hackers attempting to hack into your bank accounts. We've seen some activities,’ these were the words of a man who rang Marc on his Telstra home phone on 23 June, presenting himself as a technician from Telstra’s IT security division.
“He gave me his employee ID number and his direct phone number of Melbourne office. He said Telstra was concerned about cybercrime that is affecting customers,” said Marc.
Marc, 64, said he rang the given phone number to verify whether the man was really from Telstra. He said he was satisfied with the purported technician’s identity after making the call.
He then agreed to allow the caller remotely access his computer to ‘make sure the computer is free from viruses, malware and suspicious activities’.
“He said ‘You can log onto your accounts now. At the same time, we will run some scans on your accounts to make sure that they're not vulnerable. And then we can confirm that everything is all okay’.”
Source: Getty Images
“He seemed to be a very charming gentleman. He sounded genuine and very helpful,” Marc told SBS Thai.
After he agreed to help, he was directed to shift his money between his own bank accounts. The caller said the money in the bank accounts previously scanned would be safer and that they would only need his money to be in the accounts a bait to lure cybercriminals.
Over the next two days, the caller repeatedly called Marc to persuade him to transfer all his savings from his other ‘unsecured’ bank accounts, even from his wife's, to his ‘secured’ accounts.
Within three days, $34,560 of Marc’s money was transferred into overseas bank accounts, never to be found again.
'Just hang up'
Marc says he has reported the incident to his banks, Telstra, Queensland Police and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. But he has been unable to recoup any of the money he lost.
Telstra confirmed to him through a standard email that it was, in fact, a scam and said that Telstra never asks for this sort of information and access.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Australia’s consumer watchdog, 3,730 Australians have become victims of remote access scams, losing nearly $3 million in the first seven months of the year. While people of all age groups have reported attempts to deceive them into giving access to their electronic devices, an overwhelming amount of lost money belonged to people aged 65 and over.
ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard Source: SBS
“If you are unsure, ask for their details, hang up, and call your service provider to check if they are legitimate. Do a Google search or check the phone book to get your service provider’s number, don’t use contact details provided by that person,” Ms Rickard warns in a statement.
Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer. If you think a scammer has gained access to your personal information, such as bank account details, contact your financial institution immediately.
Marc says the scammer has stolen much more than just his money.
“It makes me feel like a useless irresponsible person. My wife thinks I am the worst thing in the world for being so brainless. I ended up going to a psychologist to actually question my thinking ability and my reasoning, and why I did such things. I feel like a lost soul. I feel like let my loved ones down.”
Despite losing $35,000, Marc is determined to share his devasting experience to warn and protect other people.
“I would like them just to be very aware and alert. Don’t listen to any cold calls. Telstra will never call you. I realise that now. None of the big companies or big organisations will call you.”
“Don’t take cold calls. Just hang up. I’m suggesting this to particularly the elderly because they are more vulnerable than anyone."
For crisis support, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636).
