AFL star and former No. 1 draft pick loses ALL his life savings after being targeted by advanced scam – revealing his ‘biggest mistake’: ‘It was all taken away. All gone’
- Weitering was the victim of a sophisticated scam where he lost his life savings
- The fraudsters pretended to work for NAB’s fraud team
- He transferred the money to what he thought was a “custody account.”
Carlton star Jacob Weitering has revealed how he lost his life savings to an elaborate scam, warning that his kind of ordeal “can happen to anyone.”
The Blues key defender told the Announce sun he emptied all of his bank accounts into what he thought was a “custody account” as instructed by the scammers.
By the time he realized what was happening, his savings were gone.
“It was a very significant amount of money that I’ve struggled with for the past six months,” he said.
“It was that the money I had worked hard for and saved was all taken away. All gone.’
Carlton star Jacob Weitering has revealed that he lost his savings in an elaborate scam
The financial blow derailed the 25-year-old’s plans to start a family.
“Everyone has to pay their bills,” he said.
‘I have a mortgage and would also like to start a family. That has major consequences for those plans.’
Weitering’s troubles began last September when he received a text message warning him of a “suspicious transaction” allegedly made “using your accounts.”
While texting is often the preferred method of scammers, Carlton Gun said he had no reason to doubt the message’s legitimacy.
The text appeared in a thread from his NAB bank about past suspicious transactions and was then followed by calls from a number appearing as the NAB’s fraud hotline on Weitering’s phone.
“They spoke perfect English, the man almost sounded like he was an Englishman,” he said.
“They went through the suspicious transaction and played on my emotions a bit.
The 25-year-old said the scam derailed his plans to start a family
Weitering, the first overall pick of the 2016 draft, was told his accounts were frozen and money would have to be transferred to a ‘custody account’
‘It was perfect. The SMS, the caller ID, the blocking of the suspicious transaction.’
Weitering, the first overall pick of the 2016 Draft, was then told that his accounts had been frozen and the money would have to be transferred to what the scammers called a “protection account.”
Wanting to comply with instructions and unaware that he was being scammed, Weitering transferred money directly to the fraudsters in the following weeks.
He recalled making the transfers directly and transferring amounts up to his daily transaction limit, which he now points to as his “biggest mistake” in the process.
“I sent them the money directly,” he explained.
“That was the biggest mistake I made, and it was based on perfect role play on their end.
The 25-year-old (center) initially did not disclose the scam to his teammates, but has decided to speak out to raise awareness and help those who may find themselves in similar situations
Weitering admitted it was “not an easy process” to accept the scam, which he initially did not tell his teammates about.
He has since changed his mind and decided to speak out in hopes of helping those who find themselves in the same situation, warning that seven out of ten people will not report being a victim of a scam or fraud out of shame.
Through six games this season, Weitering is averaging career best numbers in disposals, points intercepted and loots at 16.2, 2.8 and 6.8 per game respectively.
Carlton is eighth in the table after two successive losses to Adelaide and St Kilda and will meet the Eagles at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday.