How a scammer pretending to work for AFP stole the life savings of a Queensland great-grandmother
An elderly widow has been forced to sell her home after losing nearly $500,000 in savings.
Margaret, 91, thought she was helping track down fraudsters working within banks when she was approached by a man claiming to be from the Australian Federal Police.
For the next 10 months, the fake police officer going by the name of Andrew William called Margaret almost every day with instructions on where to transfer money, including Australian and overseas accounts.
The great-grandmother from Queensland had no idea her entire savings were being scammed, despite being questioned by her bank about the big withdrawals.
A heartbroken Margaret now bravely shares her story and the heavy toll it has taken on her life and her family in a warning to other Aussies.
Margaret (pictured) was cheated out of all her savings in a span of 10 months
‘He was a smooth operator. I don’t know what else I can say about him. Either way bad,” said Margaret A current situation.
“I thought my days were numbered. It wasn’t good. I really haven’t felt the same since.
“It takes some persuasion to convince me of these things. I now look back and think: how could I have been so stupid.’
Her son Brett added, “I thought Mom would be the last person to get ripped off like this.”
Margaret says the scammer told her that someone at her bank was trying to steal her money and persuaded her to transfer the savings to another bank so that the AFP could keep a close eye on the hackers.
Margaret says she was told not to tell her friends or family as it would threaten the police operation.
“He said people lost all their money because of the hackers and some banks were better to deal with than others,” she said.
Scams impersonating the police are on the rise, according to AFP
The transactions set alarm bells ringing at Bank of Queensland, where Margaret was a long-time client.
“She (at the bank) kind of tried to say, ‘Are you sure this isn’t a scam?’ Margaret remembered.
“But after being threatened, I wasn’t about to say, ‘I’ll take it because this could be a fraudulent bank.’
By the time Margaret tried to withdraw money from one of her new accounts and realized there was nothing there, it was too late.
“I felt very alone and actually very sick. I could barely walk or talk or do anything,” she said.
“I was pretty beside myself.”
Her son added: “I talked to her about it many times to make sure she didn’t pick up the phone with someone she didn’t know and start conversations, but it happened.
“I was pretty angry that she decided not to talk to anyone else about this money.
“But then I understood that she is the victim here.”
Margaret (pictured) will now have to sell her house built by her son after being scammed
Scams impersonating police are common and alarmingly on the rise, according to AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner for Cyber Command Chris Goldsmid.
“The police, the AFP will never call you and ask you to transfer money or send money from your accounts elsewhere,” he said.
Commissioner Goldsmid stressed the importance of reporting early if you suspect you have been scammed, so that the banks and the police can investigate and try to recover money.
Unfortunately, it is too late to reclaim Margaret’s savings.
She will now have to sell the house built by their son for her and her late husband 28 years ago.
When asked if she had a message for the con artist who stole her money, Margaret replied, “If I could, I’d put a bullet through him.”
“No, really, I don’t know what I’d say to him.”
Police have issued a series of warnings in recent years about scammers using fake AFP credentials to target vulnerable Aussies, including the elderly.
AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner for Cyber Command Chris Goldsmid is now warning Aussies to be aware of scams impersonating police officers
In one of the most recent scams, criminals impersonated the AFP through emails and letters.
“If you receive an email or letter claiming to be the AFP, it’s not us. This is not how we contact you,” the AFP said in a Facebook post.
If you are approached by someone you suspect is a scammer, end the call immediately and contact the AFP switch in your capital city.
They will confirm that it is a scam and you can then report the matter through the Scamwatch website.
Other signs to look out for are emails that are not from a legitimate AFP email address ending in afp.gov.au, and the email fails to show who it was sent to and calls for urgent action .