The owners of a prominent winery, Warrenmang Vineyard and Resort, are warning business owners of a sophisticated scam targeting tourism agencies.
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An initial email sent was addressed to employees and asked whether accommodation for a couple would be available for certain dates.
Owner Athalie Bazzani said a staff member responded to the email and the sender replied claiming to work for a construction company which he said would take care of the bills. The sender said the company would pay for the bills and send a cheque for an amount that would cover more than the accommodation costs.
“They send a cheque – the travel agents fees are included – all you have to send back is the difference between the expenses and the cheque,” Ms Bazzani.
Once staff realised it was dodgy and ended correspondence the sender still posted a cheque which appeared genuine.
Ms Bazzani believes a larger company could easily fall for the scam.
“If we banked the $4200 and sent a refund of $1800 and we would have lost the $1800 and possibly the $4200,” Ms Bazzani said.
