Bogus ‘investigator’ scams Sunbury man out of thousands

A SUNBURY man in his 70s has been swindled out of a substantial amount of money in a sophisticated overseas scam where a conman poses as a Telstra agent.

A SUNBURY man in his 70s has been swindled out of a substantial amount of money in a sophisticated overseas scam.

The man was first contacted by a scammer on September 23, alleging he was from Telstra and informing the victim his computer had been hacked.

Fake Telstra worker hacks Geelong man’s laptop and documents in elaborate scam

Leading Senior Constable David Kennelly told the Leader the criminals said they were employees investigating cybercrime and asking the victim to buy iTunes vouchers on their behalf, which would be used to lure and catch hackers.

Leading Sen-Constable Kennelly said the scammers tried to ‘prove’ their authenticity initially by telling the victim, who has been reached on landline, they will call back on their mobile.

The victim is then put through a series of apparent departments before being told he has reached the investigations department.

The criminals had already gathered identification material such as computer IP addresses, phone numbers, bank account details, passwords and more from an earlier cyber incursion to aid with the con.

In the latest incident, the man was told to buy several thousand dollars of iTunes vouchers. He was assured the money had been put into his bank account for the transaction, but it was actually his own money transferred from another account.

Over several days the man bought several thousand dollars of iTunes vouchers, handing over identification codes on the phone to the scammers, while later also being convinced to transfer funds by money transfers and moneygrams.

The incident was reported to Sunbury police yesterday, but recovery of the funds could be hindered as much of the correspondence has been deleted or destroyed, either remotely or by the victim at the urging of the crime syndicate.

The money transfers are believed to have been made out to a Saudi Arabian account.

Leading Sen-Constable Kennelly said the communication with the victim had been over email, SMS and phone, with apparent Telstra branding used in emails.

It’s the second such incident in Sunbury recently, with a similar case thwarted by the refusal of local supermarkets to sell the iTunes vouchers.

Leading Sen-Constable Kennelly said the scam relied on the vulnerabilities of older residents in a cyber environment they were unfamiliar with.

“No company such as Telstra or police department will call on everyday people to take part in an investigation in this way,” he said.

“People who have been contacted in this way should call police immediately.”

CLICK HERE to report scams to ScamWatch.

CLICK HERE for Apple’s advice over the scam.