Linkt tolls scam: Gold Coast couple lose 15k after receiving text message about ‘overdue toll’

A Gold Coast couple have told how they lost $15,000 in four days, draining their credit card to its limit, to scammers impersonating toll company Linkt, which operates toll roads in South East Queensland.

Mrs Dormer said she received a text message last month from what they thought was Linkt, telling them that if they did not pay a $5.83 overdue toll, they’d be slugged with a $500 fine. Picture: Adam Smith

A Gold Coast couple is shattered after losing $15,000 in four days to scammers impersonating toll company Linkt.

Renee and Sean Dormer are warning others to beware of the scam after their credit card was maxed out in a “horrendous” sting.

The couple, who run a floor-laying small business, discovered the devastating fraud this week.

Mrs Dormer said she received a text message last month from what they thought was Linkt, telling them that if they did not pay a $5.83 overdue toll, they’d be slugged with a $500 fine.

She said they had recently travelled to Brisbane but their toll tag did not beep, and she assumed the SMS – with a link that took her to what looked “exactly” like the Linkt website – was a legitimate request for payment.

Renee Dormer, who lost $15K in Linkt toll scam.

“Tired and distracted late at night in front of the TV, I put in my card details,” she said.

Mrs Dormer said she was told she would be sent a code but it never arrived and she thought the payment hadn’t gone through.

She said when she tried the link again soon after, it did not work.

The scammers initially used the card for a $1068.79 Jetstar flight purchase which the Dormers didn’t notice as they had recently flown to Sydney.

“Then last weekend, the scammers hit our card hard,” Mrs Dormer said.

The scammers used the card to rack up multiple outlays of $1000 and $2000 on successive days with Darwin-based online bookmaker Dabble, quickly draining the $15,000 limit.

“We checked the account on Monday and it was like ‘oh my God’ … I nearly died,” Mrs Dormer said.

“It was the credit card for our business and Sean had just paid it off completely with money from a job. Now, it’s been maxed out again. It’s horrendous.”

Mrs Dormer said their card had been cancelled and she had lodged a fraud report with the Commonwealth Bank, which she is hopeful will refund the stolen money.

Linkt has previously warned customers of the impersonation or “phishing” scam, while the Australian Communications and Media Authority has also issued alerts.

Text message “spoofing” scams have also hit banks, robbing customers of hundreds of thousands of dollars.