Twenty-five year old man charged after allegedly attempting to scam elderly woman of $58,000

A 25-year-old man has allegedly attempted to fleece a 93-year-old woman of nearly $60,000. The 25-year-old has been charged with multiple fraud-related offences over the alleged scam he orchestrated last month. Police allege the accused called the unsuspecting 93-year-old on June 26 and June 27 and claimed he was investigating scammers who were attempting to hack her bank accounts. He demanded she withdraw $58,000 to enable the investigation of the scammers to be finalised, police said. The 25-year-old advised the victim that a man would come to her house a day later to collect the money. However, after speaking to her neighbours about the phone calls, they told her to contact police. Police launched an arrest on the man shortly after he had visited the home in South Perth to collect the cash. He arrived about 9.40am, before being arrested on the Causeway Bridge near Riverside Drive in Perth. The man, from Victoria, has been charged with two counts of intent to defraud by deceit. He will face the Perth Magistrates Court on July 18. Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Thompson said the investigation led to the identification of various groups who target elderly and vulnerable people in the community. “Victims are being contacted by telephone from people posing to be fraud investigators. These groups convince victims they are in danger of being ‘hacked’ and pose as legitimate fraud specialists willing to assist,” he said. “Once trust is gained, the group’s request large sums of cash and gift card payments to conduct their investigation. “Cannington Detectives Office would like to urge the public to remain vigilant of fraudulent activities and scams within the community. “Please have a conversation with elderly or vulnerable people in your lives, and remind them of the dangers that these scammers present.” All cybercrime reports must be submitted online at the ReportCyber website, which refers reports to the most applicable agency in Australia. For more information about scam prevention, visit https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ or call the Consumer Protection Advice line on 1300 30 40 54.