‘Insane’ community response after Brisbane couple Scott and Danielle White lose life savings to scam

Brisbane couple Scott and Danielle White had worked hard to accumulate their life savings — which took just seconds to disappear during the global tech outage last week.

A scammer impersonating Bendigo Bank was already logged into Scott’s internet banking account when he phoned on Saturday asking for one detail — before stealing $98,000.

Scott, 38, and Danielle, 34, had intended to use that money for IVF to start a family, and also to keep their beloved dog Nala’s tail wagging during her final months living with an aggressive cancer.

The panic set in immediately after the call ended but Scott said community support has sustained them — financially and emotionally — as they try to recoup their funds.

“I got a call that I did believe to be from Bendigo Bank because of the credentials he gave me,” Scott told 7NEWS.com.au.

The scammer told Scott someone had tried to use his credit card interstate, and the call would purportedly “put a stop to it all”.

Scott’s password had already been changed before the call, so when the scammer asked Scott to log in with new details the red flags did not go unnoticed.

“It all seemed really weird, so I asked him to tell me what my last two transactions were and he did,” Scott said.

“Then he asked me for my access ID, which you can only see when you’re inside the account.

“I said ‘I’m not going to give that to you because you could be a scammer, why don’t you read it to me’ — and he did.”

Scott, still unsure, questioned why he had not received a confirmation text from the bank.

Then, “a message came through to my phone on the exact same chain as all my previous Bendigo Bank authentication texts”.

Scott said when he saw the text had come through the correct thread, he went back to the call.

“Then (the caller) said ‘The issue is with the two-factor authentication, I just need you one time to read out this code for me’,” Scott said.

“I did read him the code, I shouldn’t have.”

Providing the code, which had been generated by an app on his phone, to another person is the reason Bendigo Bank has said the financial loss is Scott’s fault.

Global outage impacts fraud management

“As soon as I was thinking clearly, I realised (it was a scam),” Scott told 7NEWS.com.au, saying he then made countless unsuccessful attempts to get through to Bendigo Bank.

“I stayed on hold for so long and nobody answered on Saturday.

“I got told on Monday after the scam was completed ... that Bendigo Bank had no systems because of the (global CrowdStrike) outage. So even if I had got through on Saturday, they couldn’t have stopped him.”

Scott later learned that even though his account was apparently drained on the Saturday, the diversion of funds wasn’t totally completed until Monday “once the systems were up and running”.

Scott also called his father and told him in a panic: “I’ve just been taken for everything I have.”

Bendigo Bank has told 7NEWS.com.au it “does not comment on specific matters”.

“Each instance of fraud and financial crime is unique, and every scam loss is treated with equal care and consideration,” it said.

“Goodwill payments are sometimes made at the discretion of the bank and may take into account a variety of factors.”

Scott said a “reimbursement committee” is now meeting to determine whether the couple can recoup any funds from the bank itself, with a decision due next week.

Scott hopes that because the scammer had already hacked into his account and changed his password before he generated the code, there should be some grounds for compensation.

“If I gave you that access code from my phone, you can’t just take money from my account — you have to have already been in my account, which he was,” he said.

“The bank should never have let this guy into my e-banking in the first place.”

Community steps up

The scammer left only about $1500 in “dribs and drabs” in various accounts which the Whites have.

“Luckily, I had some cash in my wallet, not heaps, but I was able to get fuel and I’ve got a jar full of tip change left over from when I was a bartender,” Scott said.

“But we’ve had such community outreach, my sister has set up a GoFundMe ... Dani’s sister — she’s a single mum of two boys — she filled 10 to 12 grocery bags at Coles and brought them around ... her brother got out wads of $100 notes and brought them around.

“Friends we had met at (a neighbour’s) house, once, at a birthday party, drove here and gave us $500. Even people we don’t even know have rocked up at our door. It’s just been insane.

“Our neighbours, who have been helping us through this whole thing, have been going door-to-door.”

Both of the couple’s workplaces have also stepped up to collect donations for them.

And after hearing the news, Brisbane fertility clinic City Fertility has offered to help their dreams of becoming parents by covering any out-of-pocket expenses.

“The support that Dani has been receiving from other women who have been through IVF has been huge ... it has been something that money could never replace,” Scott said.

“Our emotions have almost run out. We’re trying to stay hydrated because our tear ducts are just blowing gas and dust out of ’em.

“It might be a s*** world but there are so many amazing people in it.”