Another local has narrowly avoiding losing thousands in an elaborate scam attempt.

I spoke to the family of the retired person recently, who shared their story, as a warning to others. They said they prefer to remain anonymous.

Last week their family member received a phone call, claiming to be the Bendigo Bank, who said their accounts were being compromised.

“They were very convincing,” the family member told The Riverine Grazier. “They even put the call though to a NSW Police officer. They said spoke to both the bank and the police and it all seemed very real.”  

The scammers instructed the retiree to head to their local post office and purchase five $1,000 Apple iTunes cards.

“Thankfully the staff at Hay Post Office were very helpful and quickly recognised the scam,” the family member said.

“Otherwise that money would probably be gone by now.” 

The Australian government’s Scamwatch service said text messages, emails and phone calls were the top three methods used by scammers.

And scam calls are more than annoying – they cost Australians $141 million in losses last year.

Apple says they are aware of the scam but seem unable to do anything more than warn people.

“A string of scams are taking place, in which people are asked to make payments over the phone for things such as taxes, hospital bills, bail money, debt collection and utility bills,” their statement reads. “The scams are carried out using many methods, including gift cards. As the fraudsters are sometimes requesting codes from App Store and iTunes Gift Cards or Apple Store Gift Cards, we want to make sure our customers are aware of these scams.

“Regardless of the reason for payment, the scam follows a certain formula: The victim receives a call instilling panic and urgency to make a payment by purchasing App Store and iTunes Gift Cards or Apple Store Gift Cards from the nearest retailer. After the cards have been purchased, the victim is asked to share the codes on the back of the card with the caller over the phone.” 

The scammers can then drain the value from the cards.

“If you’re approached to use the cards for any other payment, you could very well be the target of a scam and should immediately report it to your local authorities,” Apple said.

This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 14 August 2024.