Ms. Bridges, 42, received her money last month in two $500,000 payments. Her bank, on the other hand, advised her that the second transfer was a hoax. Half a million dollars had already passed through at that point, and it was said to have been turned into untraceable bitcoin.
After being duped into engaging in a sophisticated banking scam, a diligent Australian family was plundered for half a million dollars.
Jody and Corey Bridges spent years planning for their kids’ futures by working hard and being frugal with their money. Their ambitious ambitions came crashing down in one text message after the two struggled for years to scrounge together money to set her family up for life.
They were duped out of $500,000 and threatened with death by the con artists. They made a $1 million profit on a Sydney property they had kept for a long time during the Covid-inspired housing boom.
It was their only hope for advancement, and Mrs. Bridges had learned from a friend that investing in government bonds was a safe bet.
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Her Discovery of Capel Court Was Not The Best
She discovered a website named Capel Court that offered bonds associated with ANZ and had an Australian company number, which she checked with ASIC. She corresponded with corporate officials for two months, asking questions, filling up forms, requesting bank statements, and even creating a login to the complex website portal.
Ms. Bridges, 42, received her money last month in two $500,000 payments. Her bank, on the other hand, advised her that the second transfer was a hoax. Half a million dollars had already passed through at that point, and it was said to have been turned into untraceable bitcoin.
Jody stated what happened to her could happen to anyone. Everything about the con seemed quite professional, even the fact that she discovered the false Capel Court website on February 23.
Because the scammers were not in a hurry to transmit the money, which would have immediately raised her suspicion, it took two months to separate her from her money.
Jody goes on to say that no one forced or pushed her to make the decision. She once took four weeks to respond to an email, and no one ever followed up to find out where she was. She explained, “I checked everything; ASIC said it was a legit company,” The problem is that ANZ is owned by a Capel Court bond firm, but this isn’t it.
Scammers had acquired the company’s credentials and impersonated them. On April 7 and 9, she attempted to transfer her money in $500,000 increments, but the money was returned.
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Scammers Assisted Her in Sending Money Via Wire Transfers Worth $500,000
The scammers assisted her in sending money via wire transfers worth $500,000 on April 13 and 14, with the first going through but the second being blocked by her bank, Teachers Mutual Bank. Since then, she has been seeking to reclaim her funds.
“When I found out it was a scam, it was heartbreaking,” said Ms. Bridges. “I would never forgive myself… the debt I have to live with. I could never work enough to ever repay that.” “I don’t come out much. I think my job in life is to raise my kids, be the best mom I can and get my kids ready for life.
My mom struggled. Mrs. Bridges obtained the cell and office phone numbers from two ostensibly bank workers named William Hughes and Eugene Gray, both of whom spoke with a wide Aussie accent.
In retrospect, it appears they maintained in touch while they attempted to extort the remaining $500,000 from her by persuading her to waive the bank’s recall on her previous transaction. In a strange text message, her main contact, a man acting as William Hughes, assured her that the money was safe.
Even though the Teachers Mutual Bank was sure that these people were con artists, she was still skeptical – especially since the con artists continued to contact her even after the money had been stolen.
He also tried to persuade her to cancel the recall of the remaining $500,000, which the bank had stopped due to suspicious conduct. When she realized they were con artists, she called them back, and they became hostile and cursed at her. Eugene Gray stated that if she paid him another $100,000, he would repay $400,000 of her own money.
He threatened her family, told her the name of her oldest child, and stated he knew where she lived when she refused. When these numbers were called, Mr. Hughes’ phone was disconnected, and Eugene Gray hung up right away.
Ms. Bridges was told to deposit the funds in the ANZ account of another guy. Obviously, the person then transferred all of her assets to the Binance cryptocurrency exchange. It’s assumed that the funds have since departed Binance.
After the bank raised the alarm, the account was frozen. According to Ms. Bridges, the individual then called her aggressively and demanded that she delete the money recall and unblock the account. The man’s involvement in the inquiry into Mrs. Bridges’ missing money was not confirmed by NSW Police.
Ms. Bridges has yet to receive her money, despite the fact that it has been over a month after the transfer. She has reported Teachers Mutual Bank to NSW Police, and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) for ensuring one transaction went through while the other did not. This isn’t the first-time scammers headquartered in Australia have made off with a large chunk of money by imitating a believable bank.
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Sources
Author: Alex Turner Cohen https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/costs/nsw-teacher-loses-500k-to-elaborate-scam-two-months-in-the-making/news-story/acc7ec62e1d7492c3c29f2361b34b7c9Author: Editorial Staffhttps://novonite.com/fake-anz-bond-investment-website-scams-500k-nsw-mother/
