It’s the kind of story that makes your stomach drop. A hardworking Australian tradie, Bradley Turner, wakes up on a lazy Sunday, checks his phone, and within hours, nearly $17,000 has vanished from his business account.
The culprit? A sophisticated scam that could catch out even the most tech-savvy among us.
Bradley, who runs a microcementing business in Sydney, never imagined he’d fall victim to a scam. Like many of us, he considered himself ‘pretty clued in’ when it came to online security.
But scammers are getting smarter, and their tricks are becoming harder to spot.
The anatomy of a modern scam
It all started with a text message that looked, for all the world, like it came from his bank, ANZ. The message appeared in the same thread as previous legitimate messages from the bank—a technique known as ‘spoofing’.
It warned that his voice ID had been updated and urged him to call a number if he hadn’t authorised the change.
Bradley’s heart raced. This was his business account, after all. He called the number, spoke to three different people (all scammers), and was told someone in New Zealand was trying to access his account.
The solution, they said, was to transfer his money to a ‘secure’ account. They even sent him the new account details—again, in the same text thread as his real bank messages.
Feeling like he was acting quickly to protect his business, Bradley transferred two payments: one for $16,941 and another for around $7000.
For a brief moment, he felt relief—he’d dodged a bullet, or so he thought.
The moment of realisation
It wasn’t until a mate called and Bradley recounted his stressful morning that alarm bells started ringing. His friend urged him to call the bank directly.
Within 90 minutes of making the transfers, Bradley was on the phone to ANZ—only to be told he’d been scammed.
ANZ managed to stop the $7000 transfer, but the larger sum was already gone, whisked away to another bank account.
The feeling, Bradley said, was ‘horrendous’—like being violated. ‘You feel so violated that someone has managed to trick you,’ he shared.
Who’s responsible when scams strike?
Bradley’s frustration only grew when the bank told him there was little they could do. Because he’d authorised the transfer, the responsibility, they said, was his. ‘You’re on your own’, was the message he felt he received.
He’s not alone in his anger. Many scam victims feel let down by their banks, especially when scammers are able to infiltrate official communication channels.
‘It came through their feed and it is so frustrating. I don’t see how they can wipe their hands of it,’ Bradley said.
ANZ, for its part, says it works with telcos to block scammers from using the ‘ANZ’ label in texts and is constantly updating its security measures.
But the reality is, once money is transferred, it can be gone in minutes—often converted to cryptocurrency or sent overseas, making recovery almost impossible.
A growing problem for everyday Australians
Bradley’s story isn’t unique. Earlier this year, another tradie, Furkan Colak from Melbourne, lost $58,000 in a similar scam while trying to buy a house and save for his dad’s surgery.
The emotional toll, as well as the financial, can be devastating.
Scams like these are on the rise in Australia. According to the ACCC’s Scamwatch, Australians lost over $3 billion to scams in 2022 alone, with business email compromise and text message scams among the most common.
How to protect yourself—and your loved ones
So, what can you do to avoid falling victim to these increasingly sophisticated scams? Here are some practical tips:
Never trust a message just because it appears in an official thread. Scammers can now ‘spoof’ numbers and insert messages into existing conversations.
Don’t call numbers or click links in unsolicited messages. Always use the official contact details from your bank’s website or your bank card.
Banks will never ask you to transfer money to a ‘safe’ account. If you’re ever asked to do this, it’s a scam.
If in doubt, pause and check. Talk to a friend, family member, or call your bank directly using a trusted number.
Report scams immediately. The sooner you act, the better the chance (however slim) of recovering your funds.
The human cost
For Bradley, the loss was more than just a number on a screen. That $17,000 was meant to pay his workers—seven employees who rely on him to put food on their tables.
‘That is a couple of weeks of wages. Do I send the boys to collect the wages from (ANZ)?’ he joked, only half in jest.
The emotional impact lingers, too. Trust in the bank, in technology, and even in oneself can be shaken. ‘They’ve let me down and now they just want to palm me off,’ Bradley said.
Is it time for banks to do more?
Many Australians are now asking whether banks should bear more responsibility when scammers exploit their systems.
Should there be better safeguards? More education? Or even compensation for victims?
ANZ says it’s working with telcos and updating its security, but for those who’ve lost life-changing sums, it’s cold comfort.
Have your say
Have you or someone you know been targeted by a scam? Do you think banks should do more to protect customers, or is it up to us to stay vigilant?
Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below—your story could help someone else avoid becoming the next victim.
And remember: when it comes to scams, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Stay alert, stay informed, and let’s look out for each other.
Also read: Stay one step ahead: Five ways to stop online scams fast
Of course the banks should be held responsible under these mitigating circumstances.The banks insurance policies should cover situations like this if not why not ?.
because they don’t cover stupid….. see below for answers NEVER reply to links in the message or phone numbers, RING THE BANK INDEPENDENTLY!
Seriously, how many times do people need to be told not to click on links or call numbers in the texts? Just because it was in “the banks feed” means nothing. Then act all surprised and angry because the bank won’t pay you back for your own stupidity. Don’t blame the bank for your own ignorance, it’s not the banks fault.
Totally agree. You never call numbers from text, email or from any source. Or click on links etc. Get the number from the banks actual website and call to confirm.
He wasn’t that tech savvy was he.
People need to be pretty silly to fall for one of these scams but clearly some people do fall for them. Maybe if the banks introduced a delay of several hours before the funds were actually transferred the victims who started having doubts shortly afterwards might be able to get their money back.
Totally agree, I have said this exact comment before on other forums. ANY transfer of funds over a limit decided by the banks and customer should have a 24 hour delay of transfer to give customers AND banks time to alter the transfer!