A Bank Employee Is Also Not Spared, Caught in the "Relationship Scam"

——An Employee from Commonwealth Bank of Australia Talking about Her Own Experience

"Everyone can become the next victim of scam." During the Anti-Fraud Week held by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (hereinafter referred to as“the bank”), an employee from the bank was cheated by swindlers for thousands of dollars, telling her experience of being cheated, hoping that others could avoid being cheated.

Cindy, who has worked at the bank for more than seven years and still hasn’t got married, was pressured by her family, so to register on a dating website. Soon, she got to know a liar on the website. "I was immediately bombarded by emojis like love and kisses..." After chatting online for a few days, the two persons started talking on the phone. Cindy noticed that his number begins with 08, which is the area code of Adelaide, South Australia.

She recalled, "On one phone call, I heard roosters crowing on the phone. At that time, I felt something wrong. But I quickly convinced myself that it didn't matter. Adelaide doesn't have many roosters."

Despite this abnormality, they continue to develop their relationship. Then comes the money issue. She said that, one day she received an urgent call from her lover, saying that he was working in Bali and that a device had exploded. He claimed that if he did not remove the equipment, the police would arrest him. He desperately needed to transfer $5,000 to a woman who is said to be a receptionist at his hotel.

Looking back now, she can find out these abnormal signs. But at the time she thought someone she cared deeply was in trouble, saying, "I fear the love of my life could be arrested."

Unfortunately, Cindy is not the only one who has been defrauded. According to the latest target fraud report released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the "relationship scam" is listed as one of the three major scams that cause the most serious economic losses. Last year, Australians lost $142 million due to the "relationship scam".

The fraudsters of "relationship scam" began to gain your trust with sweet words, and then cheated. James Roberts, the general manager of the Anti-fraud Group, Commonwealth Bank of Australia  said, "They usually create false online identities to lure you. Once they have gained your trust, they will usually be in close contact with you for several months, and then they will use your newly established relationship to ask you to send them money or gifts. They may plead with you to help with fake health, travel or family problems with cash, or ask you to transfer your assets to their name in various ways. Use manipulation, psychological control and deception strategies to get the money they want.

If you suspect that you may be interacting with a liar, what is his suggestion? "Cut off contact immediately." To make matters worse, two days later, the swindler asked Cindy for another $10,000. After her second transfer, the swindler stopped communicating and blacked her out. It was then that Cindy learned that she was the victim of the "relationship scam". She works in a bank, but she still finds it hard to tell what has happened to her. She hasn't told her family about her experience yet. However, she finally decided to tell her own experience to warn others. She said, "Even people who work in banks can also be victims of scams. I am now working in the anti-fraud team and using my experience to help customers stay vigilant." She also suggested, "If you have any questions, please ask someone you trust for help and tell it."

Cindy's advice was made at Commonwealth Bank of Australia's Fraud Prevention Week from November 7 to 11, 2022. This year's theme is "How to spot scams?" In order to help support this activity, the bank is carrying out a series of internal and external activities within the group to further raise people's awareness of fraud, so as to ensure that people and enterprises can better block fraud, check whether they have encountered relevant situations and refuse decisively if have. In addition, CBA also introduced leading AI technology to protect more customers from frauds.

These anti-fraud measures of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia meet the evaluation of the first-class index "social responsibility" in the "China Brand Value Evaluation Standard", helping to prevent the customers from suffering from property losses, which will actively enhance its ranking in the list of "Daguan·the World Brand Value Top 900". The Commonwealth Bank of Australia ranks the 228th in the "Daguan·the 2nd World Brand Value Top 900" officially released on July 30, 2022, with a brand value of 108.755 billion yuan RMB.

作者：肴筱临