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Aussie couple 'disgusted' over bank's response after losing $48,000 in major scam

Will and Jessica issued a warning to other Aussies after they were "left with nothing".

Stewart Perrie
·Senior Journalist
·5-min read
Will and Jessica speaking to The Project
Will and Jessica lost $48,000 in an instant thanks to a sophisticated email scam. (Source: Channel 10)

A young Aussie couple have been devastated after losing $48,000 to a sophisticated email scam. Will Clinton and Jessica Greentree had been scrimping and saving every spare cent to get enough money for a house deposit and pay for their wedding.

They received an email that looked exactly the same as their solicitor's previous messages, which included the same letterhead, email address, and all the details they had discussed with each other about their future home. The couple sent off tens of thousands of dollars to the account listed in the email and eventually realised they had been scammed.

"It was devastating," Jessica explained on The Project. "Will had contacted me while I was at work, I just went into tears. It was just devastating that a year and a half worth of savings [was] just gone in an instant."

"We'd actually been to the solicitor the day before, and I'd asked about when we'd be paying the deposit, and he said we'd be in contact about that. And then it was the next day that we received that email. So we thought, you know, everything lined up perfectly."

Clinton added that it was "gut-wrenching" to see all their hard work vanish so quickly.

They had cut out as much unnecessary spending as possible to save up their house deposit, even going as far as sharing a coffee on the rare occasion they allowed themselves to go to a cafe.

They contacted their bank, Macquarie Bank, to see if they could do anything about it. It was only after they went through the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) that Macquarie decided to offer them a goodwill payment of $500.

"We just thought that was disgusting ... just couldn't even fathom that as a response to our issue," Clinton said.

They also went to NAB, which was the bank which they sent the $48,000 to, in the hope they would be able to offer some help. But NAB explained that they weren't at fault because Clinton and Greentree willingly sent the money over even though it was a scam.

NAB said in a statement that it does try to recover stolen money or freeze a customer's account in the event of a scam, but it can be "very difficult" because the funds "are often quickly sent overseas or to largely unregulated crypto platforms".

Macquarie added that this type of scam is increasing in "volume and complexity" and it's up to customers and businesses to ensure they know who they are sending their money to.

While the email scam left the couple "with nothing", they were thankfully still able to purchase their home.

But they were only able to stump up a 5 per cent deposit.

As a result, they've had to put tenants into the property to help them pay off the mortgage and they haven't been able to move in just yet.

They warned other Aussies who might be about to send over a large amount of money to double-check the account details to ensure they don't become another victim of this type of scam.

The latest data shows Australians lost a whopping $16.2 million to payment redirection scams in 2023.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said fake invoice scams can be incredibly hard to detect.

Scammers are able to hack into a business's email account, which is how they can get all the details about an upcoming transfer of money. They'll usually target businesses that deal with big transfers of cash like car dealerships, real estate companies and the construction sector.

When they send an invoice to a potential victim, everything will appear legitimate, however the online criminal will have changed the bank account details so the money comes to them instead of the business.

"You are unlikely to notice anything unusual until you receive a demand for payment from the business for an invoice you believe you already paid," the ACCC said.

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Aussies lost $2.7 billion to scams last year, with 601,000 cons reported to authorities, according to a new report from the Australian Anti Scam Centre.

That's down from a record $3.1 billion the year previous, however, the number of scams reported went up by 18.5 per cent. Over 65s were the hardest hit and only group to take a higher loss in the last year.

Investment scams are the most prolific, with $1.3 billion lost, followed by remote access scams ($256m) and romance scams ($201.1m).

Scamwatch warns to beware of the following scenarios:

  • It’s an amazing opportunity to make or save money

  • Someone you haven’t met needs your help - and money

  • The message contains links or attachments

  • You feel pressured to act quickly

  • They ask you to pay in an unusual or specific way

  • They ask you to set up new accounts or Pay ID

Contact your bank and report the scam. Ask them to stop transactions and stop sending any money.

Report the scam to Scamwatch here and make an official complaint to police here.

Watch out for follow up scams, particularly ones promising they can get your money back. Scamwatch warned one in three victims of a scam are scammed more than once.

Lastly, get support for yourself. You can talk to a financial counsellor or reach out to BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636 or here for an online chat or Lifeline for crisis support online here on 13 11 14.

You can also contact IDCARE to “reduce the harm they experience from the compromise and misuse of their identity information by providing effective response and mitigation”.