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A Melbourne woman has been conned out of $38,000 by scammers pretending to be from the Australian Federal Police.
The 27-year-old woman, who is an international student, was allegedly contacted by a man claiming to be from the Australian Federal Police on August 16.
The man allegedly claimed the woman had a number of credit card debts that would affect her visa status and her ability to travel overseas if they were not paid.
Police believe this man was involved in the scam. (Victoria Police)
While the woman was on the phone, the call was transferred a number of times until a female voice answered and gave the victim instructions.
The woman was told to withdraw $20,000 from her bank and take the money to the Princes Gardens on Chapel Street in Prahran, where she would be met by an AFP officer.
The woman did as she was told, handing over $20,000 in cash to a man, who told her she still owed another $20,000.
The victim explained that she only had $18,300 left in her account, following which the man told her that she only had to pay $18,000 and she could keep the $300.
The victim went back to the bank and withdrew the balance of her account.
She then went back to the park and handed over the money to the same man she had met up with earlier.
Police are searching for this man. (Victoria Police)
The woman only contacted police afterwards, when she questioned the legitimacy of the handover.
Police have released CCTV footage of the man who took the money in hope of identifying him.
He is perceived to be of Indian appearance, approximately 178cm tall, with dark coloured hair, a beard, big eyes and a thin build.
Detective Senior Constable Damian Faggian, from the Stonnington Crime Investigation Unit, said the incident proved how convincing scammers could be.
"The victim in this case is a well-travelled and intelligent woman but they were still able to convince her to hand over her life savings," he said.
"It is important to get this information out so no one else is taken in by this scam."
Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling, from the Australian Federal Police, has warned officers will never ask for money transfers, Bitcoins or online vouchers such as iTunes and GooglePlay.
She has urged victims of scams not to feel humiliated or to blame themselves and to contact police as soon as possible.
"We are urging anyone who falls victim and suffers a financial loss to report the incident to their financial institution and to local police in the first instance. In some circumstances, banks or authorities can help have funds returned," she said.
Anyone who recognises the man is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
www.9news.com.au
The 27-year-old woman, who is an international student, was allegedly contacted by a man claiming to be from the Australian Federal Police on August 16.
The man allegedly claimed the woman had a number of credit card debts that would affect her visa status and her ability to travel overseas if they were not paid.
Police believe this man was involved in the scam. (Victoria Police)
While the woman was on the phone, the call was transferred a number of times until a female voice answered and gave the victim instructions.
The woman was told to withdraw $20,000 from her bank and take the money to the Princes Gardens on Chapel Street in Prahran, where she would be met by an AFP officer.
The woman did as she was told, handing over $20,000 in cash to a man, who told her she still owed another $20,000.
The victim explained that she only had $18,300 left in her account, following which the man told her that she only had to pay $18,000 and she could keep the $300.
The victim went back to the bank and withdrew the balance of her account.
She then went back to the park and handed over the money to the same man she had met up with earlier.
Police are searching for this man. (Victoria Police)
The woman only contacted police afterwards, when she questioned the legitimacy of the handover.
Police have released CCTV footage of the man who took the money in hope of identifying him.
He is perceived to be of Indian appearance, approximately 178cm tall, with dark coloured hair, a beard, big eyes and a thin build.
Detective Senior Constable Damian Faggian, from the Stonnington Crime Investigation Unit, said the incident proved how convincing scammers could be.
"The victim in this case is a well-travelled and intelligent woman but they were still able to convince her to hand over her life savings," he said.
"It is important to get this information out so no one else is taken in by this scam."
Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling, from the Australian Federal Police, has warned officers will never ask for money transfers, Bitcoins or online vouchers such as iTunes and GooglePlay.
She has urged victims of scams not to feel humiliated or to blame themselves and to contact police as soon as possible.
"We are urging anyone who falls victim and suffers a financial loss to report the incident to their financial institution and to local police in the first instance. In some circumstances, banks or authorities can help have funds returned," she said.
Anyone who recognises the man is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
Melbourne woman scammed out of $38k by fake AFP officer
www.9news.com.au
