Carlton defender Jacob Weitering has revealed the sophisticated methods scammers used to rob him of his savings, hoping it will serve as a warning that it could happen to anyone.
The AFL star had been instructed to move his money into a ‘secured account’ while a team he believed to be from the National Australia Bank dealt with data security issues, only to have his accounts emptied by criminals.
Weitering admitted that he thought he was smart enough to avoid such scams before falling victim. He considered himself a seven or eight out of 10 in terms of being tech savvy before the incident, but now rates himself at just two or three.
Weitering said the scammers were incredibly well thought out and methodical in their approach.
“I had a preconceived notion that something like this wouldn’t happen to me,” he told the Announce sun.
“You hear about texts, you hear about emails, you hear about links you shouldn’t click. You can usually tell if they’re not quite right.
“But the sophistication now – wow – in my eyes it could happen to anyone. They are very smart, patient and methodical.’
Weitering lost his life savings after falling prey to a sophisticated scam involving text messages and phone calls coming from official NAB channels
Carlton’s key defender has a mortgage and wants to start a family, but the loss of his money puts a brake on that
The scam started when Weitering received a text message that appeared in his NAB message thread on his phone informing him that a suspicious $33 transaction had been made with his accounts.
The text read: ‘A suspicious transaction has been made with your accounts, call us if this isn’t you’.
At first he suspected something was off, but didn’t respond to the text. The scammers then called him several times, using a number with the official NAB fraud hotline phone number underneath, to discuss the transaction.
They played on Weitering’s emotions, telling him that his data was at risk and he needed to take immediate action.
The scammers spoke perfect English, and one even sounded like an Englishman, further convincing Weitering that he was dealing with the real NAB fraud team.
Weitering revealed that the scammers were able to get hold of a verification code sent to him to make sure who he was talking to.
He then passed the code on to the scammers, further cementing his belief that he was dealing with the real NAB team.
Weitering warned that the attack was sophisticated and that he thought he was a scam until they managed to rob him of his savings.
NAB chief executive Ross McEwan said successful scam attacks cost Australians billions and will only get worse
The scammers convinced Weitering to give them his passwords and account information, which they used to empty his bank accounts. By the time he realized what had happened, it was too late and he had lost all his savings.
‘It was perfect. The SMS, the caller ID, the blocking of the suspicious transaction,’ he said.
“I sent them the money directly. That was the biggest mistake I made, and it was based on the trust built over the phone, the perfect role play on their part, and then they played on my emotions.”
Weitering’s case is not unique. Phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect.
Scammers use a variety of tactics to gain their victims’ trust, including phone number spoofing, using bogus websites, and sending emails or text messages that appear to be from legitimate sources.
The NAB has warned customers to be vigilant and not share their passwords or account information with anyone. The bank has also advised customers to regularly check their accounts and report suspicious activity immediately.
The numbers are staggering on all fronts – $3.1 billion lost in scams Australia last year, NAB said it saw a 38 per cent increase in scam reports, and the bank is taking 85,000 calls each month from people about scams,” said NAB CEO Ross McEwan. .
“And it only gets worse.”
