Sue Pollard and Jill Horton believed Telstra was telling them something was wrong with their computer. 

They had received several calls over six days, with a person on the other end telling them they had an issue with their computer. Because they were persistent, Ms Horton thought there must be a problem and let them into her device on June 4. 

“I kept saying my laptop was in being repaired and everything else, even though it wasn’t,” she said. 

“After several calls, I said to Sue, ‘we’ve had that many calls as if there really is something wrong’. They were so professional and it sounded like a call centre in the background. 

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“So, I gave them remote access to my computer. First of all, it was a lady in a call centre, and then she said, ‘I am going to transfer you to someone in IT who will fix it for you’.”

After the person was let into Ms Horton’s laptop, the man told her Telstra would give them $400 because of the “inconvenience”.

After asking for the money to be sent to her in a cheque, the man said “Telstra don’t send cheques under $1500”. 

Ms Horton then gave her bank account details to the man. 

“I gave him details of an account that had no money in it,” she said. 

“Unfortunately, when I gave him that account number, it showed them the other accounts. And, instead of giving me $400 into the account, he put $4000 in. And it had Telstra next to it.”

It was then Ms Horton realised she had been scammed. The man told her she now “owed Telstra $3600”, and asked her to go to the bank and withdraw the money in cash. 

“He then said, ‘I don’t want you to tell anyone, and I want you to go to Coles and Woolworths with the cash’,” Ms Horton said. 

“He told me, ‘when you’ve got the money, I will tell you the next step’.”

Along with Ms Pollard, Ms Horton jumped in the car and headed straight for NAB Ulladulla.

Feeling nervous, Ms Horton explained to the bank manager what was happening, all while the man was still on hold on the phone. 

“We got to the bank and they were fantastic. They immediately put stops on all the accounts,” she said. 

“They saw that this person had transferred $4000 from one of my own accounts into the account I had given him.

“So they gave me nothing, it was my own money.”

While in the bank manager’s office, Ms Horton said she got back on the phone to the man and “lost it with him”. 

Although not out of pocket, the ordeal was stressful for the duo. The original call was answered by Ms Horton at 11.30am, and they did not leave the bank until 3.30pm. 

“I was a nervous wreck when I left the bank,” she said. 

“I have always been pretty astute, but it was so well done up until it was too late to do anything.”

Ms Horton is sharing her experience in an effort to stop others from experience the same scam. 

“Whatever you do, do not let them into your computer,” she said. 

“Telstra will not call you and ask to have access to your computer.” 

Shoalhaven Police crime prevention officer Anthony Jory said advances in electronic communication meant criminals didn’t need to be face-to-face to steal from people. 

He said scams were “constantly evolving”. 

“Scammers can go to great lengths to cause people to part with money or information,” Mr Jory said. 

“Scammers may pretend to be from your bank or a service provider, offer sports betting or short-term investment opportunities.

“They can claim the ability to return owed monies from overseas, often romance and dating opportunities plus numerous other approaches, such as repairing or updating your computer.

“On the surface these may appear to be genuine. However, there may be sinister intentions behind what you believe to be a seemingly legitimate phone call.”

Mr Jory had some simple tips to help people protect themselves against phone scammers; 

NEVER send money or give credit card or online account details to anyone you don’t know and trust.

ALWAYS seek independent financial and/or legal advice before making any investment or purchasing decisions.

NEVER rely solely on advice from the person trying to sell you the service or investment.

“If you have a vulnerable relative, elderly or otherwise, please take the time to help them understand the importance of protecting their personal and bank details from the scammers that prey on them. It’s too late after their details have been given to the scammer. The money is gone and the chances of getting the money back are very slim,” Mr Jory said. 

To report a scam, visit www.acorn.gov.au. 

For more crime prevention information visit www.police.nsw.gov.au.