Warning to beware of web scam

A TOOWOOMBA woman is warning others to be aware of a cyber scam after she lost hundreds of dollars.

Lirissa Elwell had been away on holidays with her husband and three sons when she borrowed a Weber barbecue and decided to buy one for the family.

“I found one on a website called Barbecue World and it was on special and it said there was only three left,” she said.

“It said the offer was only valid for another day and it had all different options for the different models. It seemed so legit.

“The thing was that it offered an extra five per cent discount if you paid with internet banking instead of credit card.”

After a few days went by and not receiving a reply from the website, Ms Elwell discovered it offered no contact number or location.

A Google search led her to discover other people had been scammed by the same website. She has reported

❝ I just felt so upset and angry at myself.

— Lirissa Elwell

the website to authorities but wants others to be cautious and not scammed the same as she was.

“I just felt so upset and angry at myself for letting us get scammed,” she said.

Her advice to fellow online shoppers is: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. She said she wished she had Googled the deal before purchasing and advises others to do the same.

“I reported the crime to my bank, the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network and Scamwatch and was basically told there is nothing more that can be done,” she said.

“My family has now lost almost $300 thanks to this website. Money we most likely will never see again.”