Northern Beaches residents are being relentlessly scammed as fraudsters target older residents on the peninsula.
This includes a Mona Vale woman, in her sixties, who police say was scammed out of more than $300,000 via a bitcoin ATM at Warringah Mall.
Last year, in October 2024, the woman invested in a gold bullion scheme she found on Facebook. After some initial bank transfers to the company, Intercove, she was instructed to transfer larger sums in bitcoin.
She went to Warringah Mall and deposited over $300,000 cash into a bitcoin ATM believing the cash was converted to bitcoin and would be used in the gold bullion investment. She was notified she made a profit and attempted to withdraw some funds. She was asked to pay a tax to release her earnings and soon after realised she was scammed. The cash deposited into the bitcoin ATM was sent to the scammer’s bitcoin wallet.
Bitcoin kiosks or ATMS are located across Sydney and are used for legitimate bitcoin transactions. However, police urge the community, particularly novice investors, to show caution when instructed to transfer funds using a bitcoin ATM.
An investigation is under way and police are seeking specialist assistance from the Cybercrime Squad to help track the victim’s funds.
Cold call scammer fleeces elderly Mona Vale woman
On 12 February 2025, a Mona Vale woman in her nineties was phoned by a man purporting to be from the Commonwealth Bank fraud team following up on a suspicious transaction on the victim’s account. The following day, the same man called and delivered a fake story about an offender being arrested in the USA for fraudulent charges on the victim’s account. He sought the victim’s help to catch further offenders.
He convinced the victim to withdraw $7,500 cash from her account and to hand it to a courier who attended her home. The victim gave the cash to an unknown man and then discussed the matter with a relative. She soon realised it was a scam. Police are investigating.
Strike Force Woodarra established to investigate Northern Beaches holiday rental fraud
On 17 February 2025, Northern Beaches Detectives established Strike Force Woodarra to investigate a significant number of fraud reports involving a holiday rental business called Northern Beaches Holiday Rentals.
Landlords and short-term renters have allegedly lost significant sums of money. Victims paid deposits on the assumption they were getting a short stay at a Northern Beaches holiday house. Several of these alleged victims turned up to the advertised properties to find they were permanently occupied by residents with no knowledge of the rental agreements. Others engaged the business to rent their properties out as holiday rentals and did not receive rental income.
Anyone with information about the matter is urged to contact Dee Why Police Station or Crime Stoppers.
Remote access software used to steal $20,000
On 17 February 2025, an 84-year-old Cromer woman received a pop-up message on her computer instructing her to call a number which supposedly connected to Microsoft Cyber Security.
The woman made the call, and then she was instructed to download a software program that gave the offenders remote access to the victim’s computer. They took control of the computer and accessed her bank accounts. The offenders convinced the victim to place her bank cards in her letter box and was tricked into revealing the PIN codes. The offenders collected the cards and withdrew $20,000 over two days.
Police expect to gain access to CCTV footage of the offenders.
The Northern Beaches Crime Prevention Officers dedicate significant time and energy to spreading fraud prevention advice to various groups in the community, particularly the vulnerable elders. Unfortunately, confident tricksters are always finding cunning ways to separate people from their money. Sharing these stories serve as cautionary tales and complements the work of Crime Prevention Officers.
Crime Watch Northern Beaches is a weekly wrap up of local crimes and incidents from the Northern Beaches Police Area Command. If you saw or can help with any of the below incidents, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or here. All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. You can also contact Dee Why Police Station 9971 3399.
