Written by Eliza McPhee, Daily Mail Australia
04:57 February 21, 2024, Updated 04:57 February 21, 2024
A military veteran was allegedly scammed out of $18,000 by a teenage boy posing as a Commonwealth Bank security guard.
Shane Arnold, 71,’s nightmare began last October when he received a fake email from an account pretending to be from Netflix telling him he owed a refund and needed to enter personal information.
Khalid Mahmud, 19, from Braybrook in Melbourne’s west, allegedly called Mr Arnold the next day pretending to be a CBA employee.
The man allegedly told his grandfather that his bank account had been compromised and that he had to throw his bank card in his bag and have the driver retrieve it.
Mr Arnold told Nine News the scammer was “very convincing” and spoke with an English accent.
Mahmoud is said to have used artificial intelligence to hide his voice.
“I worked over 50 years to get that money. He took it the same day,” Arnold said.
“It felt like my heart had been ripped out.”
Mr Mahmoud is said to have made a large purchase after Mr Arnold forgot his bank card.
He is said to have spent thousands of dollars at ATMs around Melbourne and also bought PlayStation and Apple gift cards at Kmart in Mooney Pond.
Mahmoud is also alleged to have stolen fuel, strawberry milk and Magnum ice cream from Ampol in Footscray, according to court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia.
He is also said to have bought himself a new iPhone for $2,849.
Mahmud is charged with fraudulently obtaining property, attempting to obtain property by deception, obtaining property by deception, and dealing with proceeds of crime.
Mr Mahmoud, wearing a black Nike tracksuit, laughed when confronted by a Nine News reporter outside court earlier this month.
Arnold said CBA refunded him $1,000.
“CBA recognizes the economic and emotional harm fraud causes to our customers and communities,” a CBA spokesperson said.
“Scammers impersonate well-known companies to trick users into sharing personal information.”
A spokesperson urged customers to verify the organization’s identity by calling directly through an independently verified number.
CBA has also launched a new fraud detection initiative called CallerCheck.
This feature allows customers to verify whether a caller claiming to be from CBA is legitimate by triggering a security message in the CommBank app.
“While we investigate fraud on a case-by-case basis, it is widely recognized that fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated,” the spokesperson said.
“CBA encourages people to be wary when asked to send money or adopt a Stop Check. Decline when evaluating payment requests.
“If you believe you have been scammed, or if you notice unusual transactions or transactions that did not occur to you, contact your bank immediately.
“Mr Arnold’s case is currently being managed by the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). The CBA is actively working with the AFCA complaint process.”
