An Aussie couple has lost almost $250,000 in a scam so sophisticated it went unnoticed even by professional banking staff.
Sunshine Coast couple Kerry O’Mahony and Kerry Littlejohn were looking for the best interest rate on their term deposit.
Thinking they had found the best offer through ING Australia, they clicked a link to what they thought was their website.
“I clicked on get a quote and within, I think, about a day or two after we did that, we got a call… from ING,” Ms O’Mahony said. A current issue.
A person posing as an ING employee emailed a fake quote, documents, contracts and payment instructions using the bank’s logos.
Kerry O’Mahony and Kerry Littlejohn (pictured) were looking for the best interest rate on their term deposit when they lost their savings
Thinking they had found the best offer through ING Australia, they clicked on a link to what they thought was their website
The couple went to their local Suncorp Bank branch and withdrew their money.
‘He looked [the emails] and then he said yes, it looks good, but if you are really worried you can call ING,” Ms O’Mahony said.
Mrs O’Mahony claims to have called ING in the presence of the counter employee.
She said she looked up the ING number via Google and called 13 34 64, but went straight to the scammers instead of the bank.
Ms O’Mahony was unaware that her phone had been spoofed by the scammers, meaning they had the ability to redirect her calls to pretend to be ING.
She said the Suncorp teller approved the transaction and $240,000 was transferred directly to the scammers.
Clearly, there were some telltale signs from the scammers that went unnoticed.
It is believed that the account details of what they thought was an ING account was actually a Commonwealth Bank account and that the email address used by the scammers was not an authorized ING email address.
Ms O’Mahony said the money had been withdrawn and then sent via various IP addresses around the world by the time they contacted the Commonwealth Bank about the scam.
The pair said their money was moved through various IP addresses around the world and by the time they contacted the Commonwealth Bank about the scam it was too late.
Although the pair hold the scammers responsible for the ordeal, they believe Suncorp is also partly to blame.
‘I just felt that [Suncorp’s] The duty of care owed to us was unfortunately lacking,” Ms O’Mahony said.
The couple has filed a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
Suncorp said in a statement that the matter is currently under review and they are fully participating in that process.
“Suncorp Bank understands the impact that fraud and scams can have on individuals,” it said.
“Together with the banking industry, we are committed to implementing the measures set out in the Scam-Safe Accord, including checking account names for domestic payments.”
Daily Mail Australia contacted Suncorp Bank for further comment.