This week is Scam Awareness Week to give attention to the scourge of scams.  65% of Australians have been exposed to one, and 2.5% of people have fallen victim of one.

While most of us will have gotten used to ignoring the scams that come through SMS or email, some people still fall for them. And scammers are using more and more sophisticated tactics, such as fake websites and videos. Scamwatch estimates losses of over $345 million in the last quarter, mainly by people aged 55 and over.

This week, we are highlighting scam tactics and stories of BankWAW customers who have been scammed or nearly scammed. They bravely share their story to help others recognise scams. They tell us to listen to that little niggly voice in the back of your head that says: ‘not everything feels quite right’ or ‘I should check this out’.

Verify what unknown people are saying or selling, don’t click suspicious links, ask the opinion of a family member or friend, or talk to us at BankWAW. Don’t hesitate to call on us to help you spot a scam! You can also help by educating others around you how to recognize a scam. By sharing scam examples and stories, we can all help everyone stay safe.

For more information, please have a look at our scam tips.

Mark fell for an invoice scam

'Mark' - a BankWAW customer - was renovating his house, so it was no surprise to receive an invoice from a supplier by email. It was clearly marked that their banking details had changed from previous bills. However, Mark assumed everything was okay and transferred the funds to the account listed on the invoice.

Just to put his mind at ease, Mark contacted the company that provided his computer security program. They advised that a fraudster had intercepted the invoice, changed it and then sent it on to him. He contacted the supplier who confirmed that the details on the invoice were incorrect.

Upon hearing the bad news, Mark decided it was time to visit his local service centre and pass all this information onto us. Our Fraud team quickly contacted the other bank to see what could be done. Thanks to Mark's alertness and our Fraud team’s quick response, all of Mark’s money was recovered successfully.

Customer sees the scam just in time

A customer walked into our service centre in Corryong to transfer funds to another bank. One of our friendly staff asked for the account details, but the customer didn’t have an invoice. He showed the account details on his phone. The BankWAW employee asked if he knew the person he was transferring to and what the payment was for. He didn’t know the other person, but the payment was for a shipping container. He had only seen pictures, and thought it was a good deal.

Our staff at Corryong found the account name unusual, and the location of their bank was far away from the seller’s reported location. Doubt grew. An online search showed that the seller had set up their account only a day ago, and there were many different profiles using variations of the name. Now it was certain. The customer was no longer comfortable to make the payment. He was disappointed to let the shipping container go, but thankful to our staff who helped keep his money safe.

Eliza learnt an expensive lesson

'Eliza' ambitiously started her own small business to sell shoes online. She quickly learnt an expensive lesson. A customer contacted her and asked if they could use PayPal to buy shoes. The order had been placed and the money had been paid, but it could only be transferred to Eliza's account if she made a payment to them first. Eliza would get her payment back together with the payment for the shoes.

Eliza waited and waited for the money to come into her account. Then she became worried. After reflecting upon what had happened, her suspicion grew. She called the BankWAW Fraud Team who had to tell her the unpleasant truth: she was scammed and unlikely to get her money back.