Police report three victims on the Northern Beaches have lost over $70,000 to scammers in the last week.
Dee Why man loses $60,000 to American Express scammer
On Monday, 17 November 2025, a scammer, pretending to be from Amex, contacted a 36-year-old man from Dee Why.
The caller convinced the victim that his Apple Pay and PayPal accounts were compromised, leading the victim through a series of ‘verification transactions’ that stole funds from the victim’s bank accounts.
The scammer used various platforms that appeared genuine, and the scammer caught the victim when he was vulnerable.
He lost over $60,000 in transactions that were possibly sent to overseas accounts.
Police report they are investigating and will work with the victim’s financial institutions to track the movement of his money.
Newport woman victim of Apple iTunes card scam
On Wednesday, 26 November 2025, an elderly woman from Newport received a phone call from a scammer who pretended to be from Telstra. The male caller said the victim’s phone was hacked and the victim was tricked into giving the caller remote access to her phone.
The scammer told the victim to buy Apple gift cards for reasons that are unclear. The victim bought over $8,000 worth of gift cards from several stores at Mona Vale and allowed the scammer to scan the gift card serial numbers using her phone.
Police remind the community that alarm bells should ring where unsolicited callers request payment in Apple iTunes cards.
The victim reported the matter to ScamWatch whose advice is: “If someone asks you to pay for anything using an iTunes gift card, it is a scam. There are never any circumstances where a legitimate business or government department will ask for payment this way.”
Beacon Hill woman victim of “Hey Mum” scam
On Monday, 24 November 2025, an elderly Beacon Hill woman received a text message from someone pretending to be her daughter, whose phone was apparently damaged and needed financial help.
The scammer provided the victim with a bank account, and the victim transferred $2,500.
The incident was reported to IDCARE which is the national identity and cyber support service.
Police encourage people to contact IDCARE if they are victims of fraud.
IDCARE can help prevent future misuse of personal identities. As a registered charity, it does not ask individuals to donate or pay for frontline services.
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