Constance Hall, an Australian influencer, and a momma Blogger, while enjoying the school holidays, received a jolt out of the blue. The shock came mute and unnoticed, and left the 38-year-old in a huge mess.
Hall with her three children has been living with her mom for six months now. The decision came when she spotted her dream property in Perth. Securing the six-month rental meant saving cash, and that’s why the family took shelter at Hall’s mother’s residence. But here comes the plot twist: the savings which were meant for the rental just got wiped out to a scammer’s hand.
“How Could I Have Let That Happen?”: Constance Hall Rants About Her Situation
Checking the desired property in Nedlands, WA, Hall applied for the rental. She received the green light and approval. After clearing up some paperwork, she received an email asking her to pay the bond and four weeks’ rent. Hall wrote on Facebook, “On Wednesday afternoon [the agent] emailed me back and told me that ‘good news! Your application for (address) has been approved!! Please pay the bond and 4 weeks’ rent today or first thing tomorrow and the documents can be sent and signed.”
Assuming it to be the real estate agent, she paid the money, only for her to realize later that the recipient wasn’t who she had thought. Where Constance was waiting for her keys eagerly, she received a distressing update instead—she never got approved for the property. The leasing agency was hacked and Hall had unknowingly sent her dollars to scammers.
Hall wrote, “At first I felt stupid, how could I let that happen? But I am a business woman, I pay large sums internationally often, I’m scam savvy and don’t pay anything that hasn’t come from a known contact with a credible email history, so no I’m not stupid. This could have literally happened to anyone desperate to get a rental.”
In the area where Hall had applied for her property, four-room bedrooms are somewhere near $700-$1000 a week. So it is assumed Constance might have lost as much as $8000 upfront.
Bank Could Only Recover A Minimal Amount
Hall shared that the major part of renting the property was for her kids and how happy they’d be. She wrote, “It was a lot of money. I was clearing out my savings account and part of last week’s wage. That’s a big hit for the school holidays, but I thought about how excited the kids will be when I tell them. It will be like a holiday in itself.”
Constance reached out to the bank but since she had authorized the transaction, the chances of getting back her money stand null currently. Updating her followers, she wrote, “Today the fraud department of Commonwealth Bank got back to me and told me that out of the thousands that I transferred they were able to recover $7.57 and that’s that. All my savings wiped out.”
A number of people commented on her post, saying that the real estate agency should take some responsibility since they were the ones who got hacked. The fans then set up a GoFundMe page to collect money for her. However, Hall insisted that even though she appreciated the efforts, she wouldn’t take the money. “You guys are so sweet but please don’t do anything like that. Really I meant it when I said I do so well and your kind gestures will go further on yourselves or to people actually in need.” Hall said.
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