Brisbane man Rajesh Ponnaboina charged with fraud for allegedly scamming Toowoomba woman out of $10k

The details of a semi-sophisticated bank scam that allegedly robbed a 94-year-old Toowoomba woman of $10,000 was laid bare in court when the Brisbane businessman accused of collecting the money fronted court charged with fraud.

Alleged scammer, Rajesh Ponnabonia leaving the Toowoomba court on August 21, 2024, after his guilty pleas were vacated on a fraud charge.

A Brisbane businessman accused of collecting payments from a scam targeting elderly residents across the state told a Toowoomba court he himself had been hoodwinked and thought he was collecting money for charity.

In February, the operations manager of Silk Hospitality Queensland, Rajesh Ponnaboina, travelled two hours to collect $10,000 from a 94-year-old Toowoomba woman living at a Harristown retirement village.

Mr Ponnaboina conceded he collected the cash and pleaded guilty to fraud before the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 21, however the plea was vacated after he alleged he did not know about the scam.

The court was told Mr Ponnaboina, who was experiencing financial stress at the time, received $1000 of the overall amount, and had since saved $10,000 in restitution to be paid to the victim.

Alleged scammer, Rajesh Ponnabonia leaving the Toowoomba court on August 21, 2024, after his guilty pleas were vacated on a fraud charge.

Police allege that Mr Ponnaboina was in on the scam, however he was not the mastermind or the scammer who called the elderly resident.

Police prosecutor Chris Willson said the scam actively targeted vulnerable members of the community which left victims feeling ashamed and fearful of judgment, to the extent where they chose not to report incidents.

He said since the incident, the Toowoomba resident was too scared to answer the phone and became distrustful and fearful of men.

Senior Constable Willson said the woman received a call from “Suncorp Bank” asking if she had made a $625 bank transfer, and when she confirmed she had not, the caller transferred the call to the “fraud squad”.

The woman was then asked to secretly withdraw $10,000 from her bank, telling the teller it was for a washing machine, and that someone would collect it from her using the code word “purple”.

Senior Constable Willson said Mr Ponnaboina used the password when collecting the money which was caught on CCTV.

He said the woman became suspicious and alerted authorities after the scammer called back the next day, telling her account was still compromised and more money was required.

The matter will be mentioned before the Toowoomba court on Thursday, September 4.

Magistrate Kyna Morice asked the prosecutor whether Mr Ponnaboina was also a victim of the scam, if the police facts lined up with his version of events.

Senior Constable Willson said Mr Ponnaboina was a highly educated man, and given the facts, it was “hard to believe” he did not know “something was up” and that he thought he had a right to be at her address.

He noted, when police asked Mr Ponnaboina about why he travelled to Toowoomba, he lied, telling officers he was there collecting banana leaves in preparation for an upcoming festival.

Mr Ponnaboina also declined to participate in an interview with police.

The court was told Mr Ponnaboina was convicted of attempted fraud in March, which appeared to be related to the same scam and occurred around the same time.

On that occasion, the court was told he attempted to pick up cash from an elderly Salisbury resident, however the police were waiting for him upon collection.

Upon reading Mr Ponnaboina’s support references and giving him more time to think about the matter, Ms Morice said she could not accept the guilty plea and adjourned the matter to be set down for a potential hearing.

“I can’t accept any submissions that contradict a plea of guilty,” she said.

“They speak to his impeccable sense of justice and his lack of understanding and participation in the offences.”

Ms Morice mentioned Mr Ponnaboina wrote to the woman which was “quite frankly offensive”.

He told the victim, “at the time of collecting the envelope your demeanor appeared happy and normal which reinforced my belief that everything was being done with your full consent”.

Given Mr Ponnaboina was at risk of a prison term, likely suspended, Ms Morice adjourned the matter to give Mr Ponnaboina’s legal team more time to gain further instructions and possibly list the fraud charge for a hearing.

“Those two (different) scenarios would want very different sentences,” she said.

“To be frank, it was a bold move to come to sentence on a fraud charge with such a disparity in positions.

“If Mr Ponnaboina is adamant about his version and seeks to be sentenced on that version, but I won’t accept that version today.”

The matter will be mentioned before the court on Thursday, September 4.

Originally published as Brisbane man Rajesh Ponnaboina charged with fraud for allegedly scamming Toowoomba woman out of $10k