An Aussie dad has had his entire life savings of almost $150,000 stolen by a cruel scammer after he opened an email claiming one of his relatives had died.
Melbourne man Renato Calalang had worked in different types of jobs for the last 40 years and had saved almost $150,000 for his retirement.
Mr Calalang received an email in mid 2023, claiming his cousin had died and left him with an inheritance.
The 60-year-old moved to Australia in 1986 and still has extended family in Manila, Phillipines – some of whom he has never met.
The email, which was sent by the scammer posing as a credit manager named Steve Golds, seemed plausible to Mr Calalang as it even included a death certificate of a person with the same name as his cousin.
Renato Calalang, 60, (pictured) lost almost $150,000 of his life savings when he fell victim to a cruel email scam claiming his relative died and had left him an inheritance
The scammer claimed to own a bank in Manila and that Mr Calalang was entitled to a 3.8 million euro inheritance.
To receive his inheritance, Mr Calalang was told he had to provide his details and open up a bank account in Manila but before doing so he had to transfer money.
Mr Calalang was told he could not transfer directly to the bank in Manila but would have to transfer to the scammer’s agent in Australia.
‘So I deposited some funds into a Commonwealth Bank account, which is the same bank that I am with,’ Mr Calalang told News.com.au.
‘This made me feel like nothing bad could happen, and if something were to go wrong, I thought I would be able to chase up Commonwealth Bank for help.’
Mr Calalang continued to deposit money to the scammers – one of which he spoke to on the phone and who ‘sounded legitimate ‘- over the next three months believing he would soon receive his inheritance.
One transfer totalling $11,180 was sent to an account with the name Shane T Waycott on September 8, last year.
However, he soon realised it was a scam and in September last year contacted the police, Scamwatch and Commonwealth bank, which was the same bank used by the scammers.
Mr Calalang said the bank investigated his case for two months but told him his funds could not be recovered as the bank in the Phillipines would not cooperate.
While Mr Calalang understands he fall victim to the scam, he claims Commonwealth bank should have had better security measures in place to prevent
‘I wish they had alerted me that this was a scam. If they see someone’s account diminishing, something is obviously wrong,’ Mr Calalang said.
‘But instead they just said it was my fault. Yet the scammers have bank accounts with Commonwealth.’
He said after 40 years of being a Commonwealth bank customer, he was treated like a number.
Mr Calalang said he was looking forward to a ‘relaxing retirement’ but his financial freedom has been taken away and has been forced to live ‘day to day’.
He wants to warn other Aussies about the scam and hopes Commonwealth Bank might still recuperate some of his money.
A spokesperson for Commonwealth Bank told Daily Mail Australia they were aware of these type of scams and urged customers to be vigilant when transferring money.
‘CBA acknowledges the financial and emotional burden scams have on customers and the community,’ they said.
‘We are aware of instances where a scammer will offer the false promise of an inheritance or share in a large sum of money. This may be through a phone call, text or email.
‘In communicating with the customer, the scammer will request payment of a smaller up-front fee.
The scammer, who posed as a credit manager named Steve Gold, told Mr Calalang he had to transfer money to a Commonwealth Bank account before receiving his inheritance
Mr Calalang said he wished Commonwealth Bank had more security measures in place to help prevent scams. He hopes the bank could retrieve at least some of his money
‘CBA encourages people to be vigilant when being asked to send money, and to ‘Stop. Check. Reject’ when assessing requests for payment.
‘This includes taking the extra time to consult a trusted family member or friend as a sounding board before making a payment to an unfamiliar recipient if there is a promise of a large sum of money in return.
‘If you think you have been scammed or if you notice an unusual transaction or one you didn’t make, contact your bank immediately.’
The spokesperson confirmed the bank was unsuccessful in retrieving Mr Calalang’s money.
‘In this instance, Mr Calalang made a number of transfers to multiple banks over a two month period in response to the scammer telling him this would in turn release a substantial inheritance,’ they said.
‘When Mr Calalang contacted CBA about the transfers he had made we promptly attempted to recover the funds but were unsuccessful.
‘For more information on protecting yourself from fraud and scams, including information on common types of scams, visit www.commbank.com.au/safe.’
Last year, Aussies reported more than 3,983 cases of inheritance and unexpected money scams, which cost victims more than $4.18 million, according to the ACCC’s Scamwatch.
More than $1.24 million was lost via email scams, with victims aged over 55 years old representing about 1,986 of the victims.
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