13/02/2025
I Run a Painting Business and Was Scammed Out of $13,000 – Sharing My Experience
Hi everyone, my name is Sky. I run a painting business, and today I was scammed out of $13,000 by two or three people who created a well-planned story. I want to share my experience so others can be aware and avoid falling into similar traps.
A few days ago, someone called my team, claiming to be a long-time customer referred by one of our old clients. They said their school in Campsie needed painting work. They even provided an address and asked us to visit the next day at 4:30 PM to inspect the site, mentioning that there were many areas requiring repairs, including walls and floors.
At first, they scheduled the visit for the previous day but later messaged me on WhatsApp at 1 PM, saying they were too busy and needed to reschedule for today at 4:30 PM. One thing I noticed was that this person only communicated via WhatsApp and didn’t allow phone calls.
Today, at around 1:30 PM, they called me again to confirm the 4:30 PM appointment. Then they introduced another issue: another school also failed an education department inspection and urgently needed painting. They said they had to use a specific German brand of paint called FEMA (or MEMA), which is indeed available in Australia.
They asked me to help place the order because their principal and the person in charge of ordering paint were in Wollongong and had a dispute with the supplier, making it impossible for them to purchase directly. Since they promised to give us the painting job, they asked me to order it on their behalf. They assured me that they would transfer the money to me first.
Soon after, they sent me a bank transfer screenshot showing a $16,000 deposit into my account. Believing the money had arrived, I agreed to place the order. They provided me with a WhatsApp contact for a person named Mr. Zheng, who was supposedly the paint supplier.
When I messaged Mr. Zheng, I told him I was ordering for a company. He replied that individual buyers pay $538 per bucket, but for companies, he could offer a discount at $484 per bucket. I agreed and ordered 30 buckets, totaling $13,000, which I transferred to him. He then promised that the paint would be delivered to my address by 3:30 PM.
Less than an hour later, they called again, asking for another 30 buckets and requesting an additional $13,000. At that moment, I became suspicious. I decided to call the school using the address they had given me to verify the order.
The school’s administrator told me that more than ten people had already called them asking about this same order and confirmed that it was a scam!
I immediately panicked and contacted my bank to report the incident. The bank assured me they would try their best to recover the money.
Important Notes:
• The scammers sent me a fake bank transfer screenshot to make it look like they had deposited $16,000 into my account.
• In reality, the money never arrived—it was just an edited image.
• This was a well-organized scam that likely targeted multiple businesses in Australia.
I’m sharing my experience to warn others. Many people may have already fallen victim to similar scams. Please be extra cautious and protect your hard-earned money.
I will be posting screenshots of their WhatsApp numbers and contacts on Facebook and other platforms to raise awareness.
Although I lost money, I hope my experience can help others avoid being scammed. Stay safe, everyone! Sky
我经营油漆生意，被骗了13,000澳元——分享我的经历
大家好，我叫Sky。我经营一家油漆生意，今天被两三个人精心设计的骗局骗走了13,000澳元。我想分享我的经历，希望大家提高警惕，避免掉入类似的陷阱。
几天前，一个人打电话给我的团队，自称是老客户介绍来的长期顾客，说他们位于Campsie的一所学校需要油漆。他们甚至提供了地址，并要求我们第二天下午4:30去现场查看，强调有很多地方需要维修，比如墙壁和地板。
一开始，他们原本预约的是前一天，但后来又在当天中午1点通过WhatsApp联系我，说太忙了，要求改到今天下午4:30。我注意到，这个人只用WhatsApp沟通，不允许打电话。
今天下午1:30左右，他们又打电话来确认4:30的预约。然后，他们又提到了另一个问题：另一所学校因教育局检查不合格，急需油漆。他们说，教育局要求必须使用德国品牌的FEMA（或MEMA）油漆，而这种品牌在澳洲的确存在。
他们请我帮忙代订，因为他们的校长和负责订购油漆的人在卧龙岗（Wollongong），两人之间发生了矛盾，无法自行订购。他们承诺把学校的油漆工程交给我们做，并且表示事情很紧急，因为明天就要接受检查。
他们说会先把钱转给我，让我帮忙订油漆。随后，他们给我发了一张16,000澳元的银行转账截图。我以为钱已经到账，于是答应帮忙订购。他们还提供了一个WhatsApp联系人，说这位郑先生是油漆供应商。
当我联系郑先生时，我告诉他我是公司采购。他回复说，个人购买是每桶538澳元，公司批量采购可以优惠到每桶484澳元。我觉得价格还可以，就同意了，并订购了30桶，共计13,000澳元，随后直接转账给了对方。郑先生告诉我，油漆下午3:30会送到我的地址。
不到一个小时，他们又打电话来说还要再订30桶，让我再转13,000澳元。
就在这时，我产生了怀疑！ 我立刻拨打了他们提供的学校的电话，核实这笔订单。
学校负责人告诉我，已经有10多个人打电话来询问同样的订单，并确认这完全是一个骗局！
听到这里，我顿时慌了，立刻联系银行汇报情况。银行告诉我，他们会尽力帮我追回这笔钱。
重要提醒
• 骗子伪造了银行转账截图，让我误以为16,000澳元已经到账。
• 实际上，这笔钱根本没有入账，截图完全是伪造的！
• 这是一个精心策划的骗局，可能已经有很多人在澳洲被骗！
我分享我的经历，就是为了提醒大家提高警惕。这种骗局可能已经骗了很多人，希望大家一定要保护好自己的钱财！
我会在Facebook等社交平台上公布骗子的WhatsApp号码和联系方式，让更多人知道这个骗局。
虽然我被骗了，但我希望我的经历能帮助更多人避免上当受骗！
大家一定要小心！
Sky
