Victorian mother of four Teagan Conn says she lost $13,000 after a scammer impersonating a Bendigo Bank fraud employee called her during a family holiday. The incident highlights how scammers can use convincing personal information and urgent warnings about supposed suspicious transactions to persuade victims to share security details.

Conn provided a security code sent to her phone and a photograph of her driving licence, after which the scammer accessed her account and bought Australia Post gift cards within 80 minutes. Bendigo Bank said it was not liable because secure codes had been used, although it later provided a $5,000 goodwill payment; Conn criticised the bank’s communication and said the loss had caused serious financial hardship.