Westpac scam: Father-of-two lost his life savings in a ‘brilliant’ scam
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Father-of-two who lost his savings in a ‘brilliant’ scam reveals how he and his bank were outsmarted by the scammers
- Waine Sauermann, of New South Wales, lost $27,380 in advanced scam
- After the first withdrawal, the father’s bank told him that his card was blocked
- However, he did not get a new one and a scammer then took his money from him
A father of two has revealed how he was left penniless after a ‘brilliant’ con artist outsmarted him and his bank.
NSW’s Waine Sauermann lost $27,380 and only had $3 in his account.
It started after he received a message from Westpac saying his card had been blocked due to a suspicious cash withdrawal.
However, he went online and found that there had been two $700 withdrawals.
Father-of-two Waine Sauermann, of New South Wales, lost $27,380 and kept only $3 in his account
He visited his local Westpac branch and was told that his card would be blocked and a new one would be sent to him.
Seven days later, he was still waiting for his card and decided to call the bank again.
However, the scammers got ahead of him and a man named Ben called him – although Mr. Sauermann was in for a nasty surprise.
“So I get a call, ‘Hey, it’s Ben from the bank,'” he told A Current Affair.
“(He) asked me for all the normal things a bank asks you for, like your client ID number and then let me read (it); says he’s going to refund the $1,400 to my account and give me a new card.
“So I couldn’t be happier, so I read out the three codes. He’s like ‘yeah, no that’s all right, hang up, get back to work.’
To his dismay, he later realized Ben’s call was a scam and called Westpac again.
“So I finally run into someone at 1:30 am. They say ‘don’t worry your online account is closed and just don’t worry about it and call the bank in the morning’. So I’m like ‘phew,'” he said.
But the situation took a turn for the worse in the morning when he saw money flying from his bank account.
It started after he received a message from Westpac saying his card had been blocked due to a suspicious cash withdrawal. However, he went online and found that there had been two $700 withdrawals
The bank told Mr. Sauermann that he probably wouldn’t get his money back until he finally paid it back
He finally decided to go to the bank, only to be told that he was actually broke.
“She’s (the bank clerk) like, ‘It’s all gone. You have $3 in your account,” said Sauermann.
“Right now I’m shaking like a kid, you know, just in shock. So I deal with the bank and then go to the police station.”
Detective Acting Superintendent Richard Puffett of the New South Wales Police Department said scammers are getting smarter and consumers should ‘never accept a cold call’.
He added that the police are still trying to find out what happened in Mr Sauermann’s case.
The bank told Mr. Sauermann that he probably wouldn’t get his money back until he finally paid it back.
A spokesperson added: “We have seen a recent spike in impersonation scams where scammers impersonate a well-known company to trick you into sending them money or personal information.
“Customers should be wary of unexpected phone calls, texts or emails claiming to be from their bank or other reputable organization, and always think about what you are being asked to do. If in doubt, hang up and call back at a publicly listed number to confirm the call was genuine.”