Close Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Read Our Newspapers Online
    • Read the Latest Western Port News
    • Read the Latest Mornington News
    • Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
    • Read the Latest Frankston Times
    • Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
  • Competition
  • Home New
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Friday, July 4
Facebook X (Twitter)
MPNEWSMPNEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
Breaking News
MPNEWSMPNEWS
Home»News»Scammers hit tourist hot spot
News

Scammers hit tourist hot spot

By Stephen TaylorApril 10, 2017Updated:July 16, 2024No Comments2 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

ONE of the main Mornington Peninsula tourist drawcards has lost an estimated $40,000 in an on-line ticketing scam.

Peninsula Hot Springs, at Fingal, is one of at least nine high profile Victorian venues targeted by fraudsters using the Chinese social media forum WeChat, which is used by an estimated 800 million people.

The springs’ general manager Brook Ramage said the company may have lost the $40,000 in the scam over the past 12 months “plus lost business and other factors”.

“It’s hard to tell the exact amount, that’s the big question,” he said.

The scam revolves around fraudsters using stolen credit cards to buy tickets to various attractions and selling them through WeChat.

Once banks are notified that a card has been stolen, they compel the tourist operator to refund the original cost of the ticket, plus up to $70 in fees. An extra sting in the tale is that the ticket is still valid for the tourist to use.

So, the venue has to refund the cost of the ticket and pay a fee while providing a service for free.

Chinese tourists make up a large proportion of visitors to the venue, which was the first natural hot springs and day spa centre in Victoria.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Mark Stone said on ABC Radio that the scam came to light two months ago and was still affecting the bottom lines of tourist venues around Australia.

He said the complex nature of the cyber security breach meant several operators had been hit without knowing it – and that police were having trouble reining in scammers.

He said nine tourist operators had lost $400,000 but that the figure “was probably much more as many had been caught out”.

Another major Melbourne tourist attraction said businesses across the country should be checking their recent financial records to determine whether there had been a recent spike in credit card “charge backs”.

Mr Ramage said Peninsula Hot Springs was urging the National Australia Bank to adopt tighter security measures. Other strategies include lobbying WeChat to ensure its ticket buyers and resellers are “the real deal”.

Mr Ramage estimates it would cost $1 million to warn all WeChat users of the scam. Support is also being sought from the Chinese government.

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 11 April 2017

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Advocates celebrate abuse law change

July 3, 2025

Railway station scam

July 1, 2025

Flinders result unaffected by poll blunder – AEC

July 1, 2025

Grand Hotel’s tower revamp signals new chapter for icon

June 26, 2025
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Peninsula Essence Magazine – Click to Read
Peninsula Kids Magazine – Click to Read
Letters to the Editor
Property of the Week

14 Bass Street, McCrae

June 3, 2025
Council Watch

Shire secures $3.9m to tackle road safety

June 16, 2025

Kinder flyer flag snub prompts councillors to take over

June 10, 2025
100 Years Ago This Week

Baxter – On The ‘Wallaby’ with a walking group

July 1, 2025
Interview

Firefighter shows skills from sea to snow

February 5, 2024
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
About

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

MPNG also publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

Facebook X (Twitter)
© 2025 Mornington Peninsula News Group.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.