Police are warning people to be cautious online after an Ashtonfield woman lost $10,000 to a scammer impersonating one of her friends on Facebook.
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The woman lost the funds in three separate transactions between December and January.
It started on December 4 when the victim flew out of Australia and began communicating via Facebook with a person she thought was her friend.
The scammer told the woman about a fake government grant where she had to deposit funds in order to receive money.
The woman deposited $10,000 into a provided bank account via three transactions on December 25, January 2 and January 11.
When she arrived back from her overseas trip she received a message from the person saying the final transaction had failed.
The woman went into the bank to investigate, where she was told she had been scammed.
Police are investigating the possibility that a scammer has hacked into the woman’s friend’s Facebook account.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, but police are warning people to be vigilant about these types of scams.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true,” Maitland officer in charge Chief Inspector Glenn Blain said.
“A lot of the time these offences are committed online.
“Be extra cautious of who you are dealing with, especially when talking about financial transactions.
“If you’re not sure, don’t do it.”
Inspector Blain said online scams involving people depositing funds in order to receive money were fairly common, but usually took different forms.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has published information about scams involving fake government grants on the Scamwatch website.
People who think they have been targeted by a scam should contact police. Scams can also be reported to the ACCC at www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.
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