Elderly couple tricked by scam
AN ELDERLY Mackay couple has fallen victim to what police are calling a "marathon scam phone call" and they're wanting to warn others.
Neil Kennedy, 80, and his wife Beryl, 75, were shaken after the five-and-a-half hour ordeal.
Neil said Beryl was "on the verge of a stroke" by the end of it.
The retired married couple from Eaglemount Heights received the call on April 11 from a scammer claiming to be from Telstra. The scammer told the victim that he was calling to arrange a refund for money allegedly owed to them by Telstra by the amount of $700 then instructed the victims how to download a program onto their home computer.
The scammer accessed the couple's bank accounts and deposited thousands of dollars.
The victims were instructed that they would have to attend designated stores to buy iTunes cards and then relay codes from these purchased cards to pay back the amount owed.
