This was published 3 months ago
Opinion
I was scammed online. Here are the red flags I missed
Brad Emery
Freelance writerSmall-time fraudsters are winning the battle against authorities when it comes to picking the pockets of hard-working Australians. Despite increased awareness, brazen scammers are using social media “marketplaces” like a burglar’s buffet to sting unsuspecting users for thousands of dollars each year.
A screenshot of the online exchange.
According to the federal government’s Scamwatch, despite a drop in financial losses as more people smelled a rat before it bit them, scammers still fleeced Australians of more than $480 million in 2023, with more than 300,000 cases reported. And in the immortal words of the Animal’s ballad House of the Rising Sun, “God, I know I’m one.”
I was recently stung for $800 by a fraudster from Victoria on social media due to rookie errors and the unfortunate habit of trusting people. Like many who regularly work online, I thought myself educated about and impervious to the wiles of fraudsters. The particular item for which I was stung looked legitimate and the price didn’t appear too good to be true.
I researched the profile of the seller and he seemed to be an honest older chap. He actually had more than one profile with only a few followers on each – the first red flag that I failed to heed.
We had a fairly unremarkable exchange online, however, when it came to payment he claimed to be unfamiliar with secure payment services like PayPal, but said I could pay using his daughter’s PayID – the second red flag I missed.
I clicked send and my money and I parted ways. When the package didn’t arrive I queried the seller, who assured me everything was fine. Over the coming days his responses became fewer and further between, until they stopped altogether.
Like many victims of online fraud, the feeling of gullibility was matched only by the desire for swift justice to be meted out to the perpetrators. Off to the local constabulary I marched. The young police constable was polite and helpful, showing me the form to fill out and the evidence I would need to gather. It was also with politeness that the officer informed me the likelihood of catching these crooks was somewhere in the vicinity of winning a division one prize in the lottery.
But wait, I had the fraudster’s mobile number and his daughter’s PayID mobile number. Surely that would make them easy to track down? Nope – I was informed scammers often use “burner” phones that they discard once the crime is committed.
What about the bank account linked to the PayID to which I transferred money? Nope – I was told that under most circumstances police don’t have access to private bank accounts.
I also did some amateur online sleuthing on the person I’d paid the money to, and found that someone with the same name was due to appear at a Magistrates’ Court in regional Victoria. Surely if they were known to Victorian police they could be found and charged.
An alert Brad Emery posted online after realising he was scammed.
Nope; even if it was the same person, NSW police would have to liaise with Victorian police and request the person be brought across the border to be charged, as the crime had technically been committed in NSW. This required the intercession of a judge, enough paperwork to fell a small rainforest, and many hours of police resources.
The best the officer could offer was a sympathetic frown.
As for the particular social media platform, their “help” service was as useful as a chocolate teapot. My bank was the most helpful, promising to do all they could to request the money be refunded from the scammer’s bank. A 50-50 chance taking about eight weeks.
This chaotic web of legal hoops and online hurdles is why two-bit hustlers will continue to hone their craft and ply their trade on unsuspecting online shoppers.
The moral? Don’t make direct bank payments; use a payment service that allows buyer protection. If the seller has multiple social media profiles, each with very few followers, run. If an offer seems even slightly too good to be true, it probably is. Check Scamwatch.
Yes, I found that once you’re a victim of online fraud the only useful thing you can really do is become like the protagonist in the House of the Rising Sun – a cautionary tale for others “not to do as I have done”.
Brad Emery is a freelance writer and a former staffer in the Howard government.
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