A single phone call from a savvy Westpac employee saved a customer from losing a $1.2 million deposit to scammers.
The Westpac customer was purchasing the property through a trusted conveyancer he had previously dealt with when his email account was attacked by cybercriminals in a payment redirection scam.
“I had used the transfer entity before and was settling into a property, so I was expecting to receive an email from them with instructions on how to transfer money for the deal,” said Diane Zhou, banker at Westpac Private Wealth. 7News.
Ms Zhou said the customer received an email from who she thought was her carrier, giving her payment instructions.
“I was busy and had assured myself that the details sent by your carrier were legitimate – received via email from the carrier’s correct email address, at approximately the right time, just before the settlement date.”
Although the man was convinced the email was legitimate, Ms. Zhou offered to call the carrier to verify the details.
“When I spoke to the carrier, I was surprised to learn that she had never sent the customer an email with payment instructions, and that the bank account details provided in the email were not hers,” Ms Zhou said.
Westpac Private Wealth banker Diane Zhou (pictured) saved a client from being scammed out of a $1.2 million deposit for a new property.
The carrier told Ms. Zhou that several fraudulent emails had been circulated from his office after her account was compromised.
Ms Zhou’s diligence saved the client $1.2 million and she is urging everyone to check the details before any major transfers, even if the invoices appear to have been sent from a trusted source.
“I’m glad I was able to help protect my client’s money and I hope that by telling people this story, we can prevent others from losing money to scams,” Ms Zhou said.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recommends that if you have been targeted by a scammer, you contact your bank immediately.
It also advises seeking support from the national identity and cyber support service. IDCARE and report the scam to scam surveillance.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recommends that if you have been the victim of a scammer, you contact your bank immediately (pictured, Westpac in Sydney).