A woman was robbed of her life savings by scammers who managed to hack her account after she used public WiFi to make an online purchase.
Victorian woman Barbara Turner, 54, was shocked to discover her money had disappeared when she logged into her ING Bank app last Wednesday.
Turner had spent months saving money for his upcoming knee surgery.
“I was shocked to see that everything had disappeared, just like that,” he wrote in a GoFundMe.
‘It is difficult to express in words what I feel. You hear stories about scams, but when it happens to you or someone you care about, it’s a completely different reality.
“Right now I’m left with nothing.”
Thousands of dollars were withdrawn from her account and Turner claimed there was little ING could do to help her.
With his knee surgery scheduled for the end of the month and quickly approaching, he turned to GoFundMe for help.
Barbara Turner (pictured) lost thousands of dollars in an online scam just weeks before her upcoming knee surgery
“I have important appointments coming up and a surgery that I’ve been saving for, but now all the money I had for medical expenses, physical therapy and even basic needs like gas and food is gone,” she said.
Mrs. Turner told the Herald of the sun The fraudulent transaction appeared under Ace Money Transfer, an international money transfer company.
‘I feel violated and scared, it’s a really scary feeling. “I want everyone to be careful, be careful online and don’t shop on public wifi, it’s not safe,” he said.
The nurse said she asked her bank for help, but they only offered her a $150 credit for phone security checks.
It’s hard enough with the cost of living as it is. Everyone is fighting. “Our money is supposed to be safe in the bank, and it’s not,” he said.
A daughter of Turner’s friend helped her create the GoFundMe page, which had raised $250 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“I have an appointment in Melbourne on January 30 at the Alfred Hospital and as I live six hours away, I now don’t even have the funds to cover travel expenses like petrol and parking,” he wrote.
‘If anyone could donate even a little to help me get by, I would be incredibly grateful. I know times are tough for many people, so if you can’t donate, please consider sharing this page.’
Victorians aged 45 and over lost more than $24 million to online scams in 2024, ScamWatch reported.