Aussie loses $160,000 in cruel Facebook scam

A Queensland man has been left over $150,00 out of pocket after falling victim to a cruel Facebook lottery scam.

Speaking to Channel 7, the man, who wished to remain anonymous, said everything went down hill around three years ago when the scammers first initiated contact.

While browsing through the social media networking site, the man explained he was told he had won a total of $650,000.

A Queensland man is more than $150,000 out of pocket after falling victim to a 'Facebook lottery' scam. He's now warning other social media users not to make the same mistake. https://t.co/dIKIXO6M9c @EmArnold_7 #7News pic.twitter.com/OJhgq4lf5k

— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) September 29, 2018

Although he had reservations it was true, he was was ensured all was above board and he would take home the money.

“I said ‘this sounds like a scam’, they said ‘no sir, it’s not a scam’,” the man explained.

After he was convinced he was the winner of the staggering amount of money, he was then asked to pay a fee to unlock the funds. This continued on for the next three years, with the man’s bank account slowly decreasing.

“Each time you’d get close it would be, ‘something else has happened’ and you’d have to pay a little bit extra,” he told Channel 7.

“I said a few times nah that’s it and walked away…it was just like a leech sucking me back in.”

Overall the man forked out around $160,000, seeing not even a cent of his apparent lottery winnings.

Left feeling deflated by the three year long ordeal, he said action needs to be taken to catch the cruel masterminds who are taking money from the innocent.

“I stuffed up and I’m not asking for a handout, but I would really like something done,” he said.

Read more: Australia Post warns of worrying new scam targeting Aussies

Sadly scams are not uncommon, with many people falling victim each year. Just last week Australia Post warned Aussies of a text messaging scam that was doing the rounds.

The letter-delivering company said it was aware of the new scam where people were being offered prizes in exchange for personal information. No such offer exists within Australia Post and it is urging people to be cautious of the fraudulent messages.

“Australia Post is aware that fraudulent SMSs are being sent to Australians offering fake ‘mystery box’ prizes,” a statement read.

The message sent to people asks them to click on a link that isn’t related to Australia Post. In the scam, people are encouraged to complete a survey, before being directed to another page where they claim their reward. In reality, it’s actually a page that asks for bank account details.

Rather than depositing money, scammers will withdraw it using the details people have supplied. Australia Post said the messages look convincing, but assured Australians that they’re not real.

Have you ever fallen victim to a scam?