Chris* was already juggling his share of challenges before he got a phone call from a guy pretending to be from the Western Australia Government's Cyber Security Unit.
He's a 78-year-old pensioner living in Denmark, WA, who cares for a partner with dementia. It's a labour of love that he admits is also "a constantly stressful exercise".
But Chris has had some luck as well, winning $137,000 on his share of a Lotto ticket in early 2023. He bought his first new car – which is about all he has left to show for that lucky draw these days.
He put his winnings in five separate bank accounts, two at Bankwest, two at Westpac and one at UniBank.
The phone call from the imposter in August 2023 was preceded by a pop-up message on Chris's computer saying the software program he was using was about to crash and to call a number to prevent it. Chris called the number and was told, to his relief, that the problem had been fixed.
I have worked as a security officer and he used the right jargon and seemed genuine
Remote access scam victim Chris
Chris realises now that the pop-up messages meant he must have clicked something that allowed scammers to access his computer.
"Two or three hours later, I was contacted by a man who said he was a security officer with WA's Cyber Security Unit," Chris says. "I have worked as a security officer and he used the right jargon and seemed genuine. He explained that a hacker in Sydney had access to my PC and, with my assistance, the officer could 'put the hacker in jail'."
Chris says it came to him later that a security officer wouldn't make such a request, "but he was entirely plausible at the time and I felt I could help to nail a criminal".
Remote access scam unfolds
Then the scammer shifted into overdrive, convincing Chris to communicate with him on WhatsApp, an encrypted platform that wouldn't be traceable. The scammer also got Chris to use an app called AnyDisk, which gave him control over Chris's phone.
"We agreed to keep my phone and computer turned on only for short times when he would contact me. Later I realised that this kept me from knowing what he was actually doing on my computer," Chris says. "I later found out, from bank statements, that he used these times to steadily drain my bank accounts."
At one point, the scammer convinced Chris to open a new Bendigo Bank account and transfer $76,000 from his Bankwest accounts to the new one.
We agreed to keep my phone and computer turned on only for short times when he would contact me. Later I realised that this kept me from knowing what he was actually doing on my computer
Scam victim Chris
"He said there was a Bankwest teller who he suspected worked for the hacker," Chris says.
Then the scammer explained that he wanted Chris to transfer the money from the Bendigo Bank account to accounts he said were held by the Cyber Security Unit.
The scammer sent along account and BSB numbers, which Chris noticed were for accounts in Victoria, but he didn't think much of it at the time. Later he discovered that the money was transferred out of these accounts shortly after it went in.
I just collapsed and said to the guy who worked for the fraud squad ... 'you just made me realise I've been worked over by a scammer'
Scam victim Chris
Then the scammer asked that Chris instruct Bendigo Bank to reactivate the 'pay anybody' facility on the account, which had been suspended. That's when the scam was finally exposed.
When Chris contacted Bendigo Bank, he was told that the accounts the money had been transferred to in Victoria were scam accounts. The $76,000 balance at Bendigo Bank had been reduced to $6000.
"I just collapsed and said to the guy who worked for the fraud squad at Bendigo Bank, 'you just made me realise I've been worked over by a scammer'."
Cyber Security Unit warning
A spokesperson for the WA Office of Digital Government at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet tells CHOICE that the Cyber Security Unit "works within government to uplift the cyber security capabilities of agencies and does not directly interact with private citizens on cyber security".
They added that the agency "will never request remote access to an individual's computer".
The perils of online banking
With the Bendigo Bank account mostly drained dry, Chris checked his Westpac accounts. One had $100; the other $400. Then it got worse. The scammer had transferred $30,000 from Chris's partner's account at Westpac to Chris's account and taken that too.
The Australian banking industry has committed to introducing a confirmation of payee system in coming years, which would help ensure that the accounts customers send money to are not controlled by scammers. But such a system was sorely lacking in Chris's case.
If somebody else is in your computer, then the bank has no idea
Scam victim Chris
"From the bank's point of view, all they receive is the fact that it's my details and my account number that is requesting a withdrawal," Chris says.
"They don't know that it's somebody else requesting the transfer. And that to me is the flaw with online access. It works fine if you assume that the person doing the transaction is supposed to be doing the transaction. If somebody else is in your computer, then the bank has no idea."
Funds recovery returns a pittance
Chris appealed to Westpac to get his money back and was told the bank's fraud department was on the case. In December 2023, he received a letter from Westpac with a promising introduction: "You'll be happy to know that our team managed to recover a portion of the transactions."
When Chris reached the critical part, his heart sank yet again. Westpac had recovered $5.37.
Bendigo Bank said his money was irretrievable. He still has a little bit left in his UniBank account, which the scammer somehow missed.
Now I am back to square one, surviving off my pension again
"I have been extra vigilant since being scammed," Chris says. "I have had my PC and phone cleaned and put more security on my accounts.
"Soon after the scam, I had many scam attempts on my phone and PC, about 30 a day. That has reduced to about one to two a day nowadays. I have been informed my details are for sale on the dark web."
In order not to lose his government payments to a scammer, Chris vowed to bank the old-fashioned way – in person. But that probably won't be an option.
Bankwest recently announced that it was closing all its branches in WA, and Chris's local Westpac branch could be on the way out too. As CHOICE recently reported, bank branch closures around Australia are only increasing.
"Now I am back to square one, surviving off my pension again," Chris says.
*Names have been changed
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