Hawthorn woman scammed out of almost $50,000

A 74-year-old Hawthorn woman has been scammed out of almost $50,000.

The call came from a scammer, claiming to be from a major telco earlier this month.

He’s managed to gain access to the woman’s computer and online banking details, telling her to buy iTunes gift cards and send them to various accounts in India to fix a security issue.

The woman has then spent about $46,000 on 330 iTunes gift cards from major supermarkets and retail outlets, the scammers making transfers between her three bank accounts to confuse her and make it look like account balance was increasing.

Police have labelled the scam – which took place over several days – as cruel and traumatising.