a And A man was robbed of more than $150,000 in a scam that authorities say is on the rise.
Eleven victims reported falling victim to payment redirection scams in Washington state this year, with total losses totaling more than $503,000.
This amount exceeds the $501,028 that was defrauded from 29 victims throughout 2023.
Find out the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
One victim this year was a potential home buyer who was robbed of $153,950 when scammers intercepted emails between him and his settlement agent.
Authorities said the criminals posed as the agent and sent the messages using a slightly different email address that the buyer didn’t notice.
They also switched the bank account information to an account under their control.
Payment redirection scammers often target “high-value transactions,” including real estate and car sales, where victims are vulnerable because they may expect a message requesting payment, authorities say.
Criminals also sought to steal construction contracts and pay for funerals.
“The significant losses caused by these scams are devastating for victims,” said Western Australia Trade Minister Sue Ellery.
“They could be people who have been saving for years for a house deposit that has now been lost to scammers or they could be a business that is in difficult circumstances and can’t afford to lose a large sum of money.”
People who deliver money should verify the email address that sends them the payment request, and even contact the sender to confirm the authenticity of the request.
“People in industries where large amounts of money are exchanged, and consumers, need to be more vigilant when acting on payment requests,” Ellery added.
“Be wary of any email asking you to make a payment or telling you to change the bank account details to which payments will be sent.
“We also ask companies to warn their customers or contractors and train their employees on fraud awareness.”
