Woman loses €20k after believing SMS about attempted access to her account
Former bank employee also lost €4,900 to the same scammer
A woman who received a fraudulent SMS warning her that someone had tried to access her bank account told court she had been robbed of €20,000 from her BNF account.
The alleged victim was testifying in a case that also heard of how a former bank employee lost €4,900 from her APS bank account to the same scammer.
The two took the witness stand before Magistrate Lara Lanfranco during the compilation of evidence against suspected fraudster Tammy Caruana, a 25-year-old woman from St Paul’s Bay who is accused of scamming around 200 people and defrauding them of €1 million. She is pleading not guilty.
One victim explained how she lost approximately €20,000 from her BNF Bank account in November 2025 after receiving a message warning that someone was attempting to access her account. She clicked on a link that directed her to what appeared to be the bank’s official website.
This was followed by a phone call from a woman identifying herself as “Rachel” from the bank. She claimed there were suspicious transactions and instructed the victim to press a “cancel” button and enter a code.
“Rachel” warned that it might temporarily appear as though money was being withdrawn, but assured her this would be rectified.
The victim later realised she had been defrauded when the actual bank contacted her, confirming that €20,000 had been stolen.
Another victim said she banked with APS and received a call from a woman claiming to be a bank employee. As a former bank worker, the victim said the caller sounded convincing, albeit slightly shaky, which made her believe she might be new.
“It did not cross my mind that it was a scam… I felt stupid when I realised I had lost €4,900 - money taken from my children and me,” she said.
The prosecution is being led by AG lawyers Mauro Abela and Marica Ciantar, assisted by Police Inspector Claire Vella Borg.
Lawyers Roberto Spiteri and Franco Galea are appearing for the accused. Lawyers Stefano Filletti and Maria Lisa Buttigieg are representing BOV and BNF, respectively.