Bank staff save Hervey Bay man from six figure scam

A Hervey Bay man has been caught up in a $100,000 scam with quick-thinking bank staff stepping in once they saw the signs of complex fraud.

Hervey Bay resident Richard Carthew with BOQ Hervey Bay owner manager Wade Lineburg (left) and BOQ Hervey Bay senior customer service officer Meaghan Sondergard (right).

A Hervey Bay man who nearly fell victim to a $100,000 scam is crediting quick-thinking bank clerks with warning him once they noticed red flags before the transaction.

Richard Carthew attended the Bank of Queensland’s Hervey Bay branch to submit the transfer.

He also had the details of the bank account to which he wished to send the money.

The retiree was initially adamant the account was legitimate.

“I am not the type of bloke to fall for things like these, but their paperwork was incredible, a very clever scam it was,” the 78-year-old said.

The Hervey Bay resident of eight years knows the ins and out of the banking sector, an industry he started in as a 15-year-old and worked in for the next 18 years.

Stints at a car dealership, newsagents and Aboriginal housing followed and by retirement time he was “comfortable financially”.

Richard Carthew with BOQ Hervey Bay senior customer service Officer Meaghan Sondergard.

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Alarm bells were raised among staff when the account set to receive the money did not align with the ING, which was what Mr Carthew had been told.

These concerns led to BOQ staff holding off transferring Mr Carthew’s funds.

They advised him to phone ING without contacting “Sebastian” who had sent him the initial paperwork, to check the legitimacy.

Mr Carthew returned to the branch where he told staff he had been in contact with Sebastian again and who again tried to convince him the bank account was legitimate.

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When questioned about how he had come into contact with Sebastian, Mr Carthew said he had received an official-looking email and had called the number attached to it, which led him into the scam.

“I am grateful for the support that the staff have given me throughout the event,” Mr Carthew said.

He said he would have felt disappointed had he handed over the money.

Two thirds of Australians aged 15 years and over were exposed to a scam in 2021-22, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.