December 28th 2024.
A family in Queensland has been dealt a devastating blow after falling victim to a sophisticated mortgage scam. Sarah and Laine Robinson were left reeling when they discovered that they had lost their entire house deposit and their new home due to a fraudulent email posing as their conveyancer. The couple had taken what they believed were all the necessary precautions by personally transferring their $300,000 deposit at the bank, but unbeknownst to them, the majority of these funds had been transferred to a scam account. This left them without the means to purchase their dream home in Mount Nathan, and they were understandably heartbroken.
Speaking to 9News, Sarah shared their shock and disbelief, stating, "We purchased it, we thought we had, and the day before settlement, it was gone. $250,000 was transferred, that was lost." It was a well-disguised scam that slipped through the cracks, with the only red flag being the absence of the "dot AU" at the end of the email address. Laine expressed frustration that if the bank had taken the time to double-check the details, the whole ordeal could have been prevented. Unfortunately, the Robinsons are not the only ones to have fallen prey to this type of scam, as just weeks ago, another couple from Brisbane lost $40,000 in a similar incident.
Christine and David Rose, the Brisbane couple, shared their own experience with 9News, revealing that the scam email they received was almost identical to the one that targeted the Robinsons. Christine recalled, "It had the same banners down the bottom, the same email signature, everything." While the Robinsons' bank was able to recover $80,000 for them, they refused to reimburse the full amount lost. The couple is now sharing their story in hopes of raising awareness and preventing others from going through a similar ordeal. Sarah urged others to be cautious and verify the authenticity of any emails they receive, stating, "Call and confirm everything that they send you, call and confirm, 'Is that from you? Is this real?'"
In the age of technology and online communication, it is important to stay vigilant and double-check any financial transactions to avoid falling victim to scams. The Robinsons' heartbreaking experience serves as a cautionary tale for others, and they are now using their platform to spread awareness and encourage others to be cautious. As Sarah aptly put it, "We've worked so hard for the last 20 years to get to this point and it's all for nothing." So, let us all take a lesson from their story and stay alert to protect our hard-earned money and dreams.
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