by Louise Guy
Her father was silent for a few moments.
‘Dad?’
‘I’m here, and whatever you find is quite likely too late. Sue and I invested some money this morning.’
‘If you did a transfer, it probably hasn’t left your account yet. The batches are often run by the banks overnight.’
‘I withdrew it from my bank this morning and paid it via bank cheque into Jacob’s company account. We wanted the money to be invested today, so we’d see a quick turnaround. Jacob said if it got to him in time it would go with one of their twenty-four-hour investments and I’d be able to see how much it made by mid-afternoon tomorrow. It’s incredible the amounts of money he’s making, Han, really incredible.’
Hannah’s gut churned. She thought back to Eliza and Jacob meeting with Nat. Had that all been for real or were they setting her up? Were they even brother and sister? She wished she could ask Nat more about that lunch, but Hannah didn’t know about it – only Suze from the chat room knew. She couldn’t ask her online either in case Eliza saw them messaging. She just had to hope for now that Julian would come back to her and confirm that BlueStar Financial Advisory was for real.
‘I’m confident it will be fine, Hannah. Both Nat and her friend Eliza have benefited greatly from Jacob’s generosity. He mentioned a large component of what they’re investing today is combined money from a number of his relatives. He’s hardly going to be popular if this one doesn’t make money.’
‘Can I ask you one thing, Dad? How much did you invest? I know you made fifteen thousand through Nat’s account. Did you reinvest that?’
Her father cleared his throat. ‘No, I used some money I was able to access. The amount doesn’t concern you.’
‘But it was more than fifteen thousand?’
‘About five times that.’
Bile rose in Hannah’s throat. ‘You invested seventy-five thousand?’
‘Even if it only doubles it’ll recoup some of what we’ve lost in the super fund. If it does better than double, then Sue and I will be laughing all the way to retirement.’
‘And if it does nothing and you lose it?’
‘We’ll still survive. Selling the house will have to become a priority, that’s all. Now, how about I ring you tomorrow once the investment is complete? If it does what Jacob’s predicting, we’ll be over at your place tomorrow night with a bottle of Grange. I’ve always wanted to try it but baulked at the thought of spending upwards of five hundred dollars on a bottle of wine. Tomorrow, however, I might buy two.’
‘Okay, Dad, let me know how you go. I’d better run. My other phone’s ringing.’
Hannah hung up and picked up her mobile. It was Julian.
‘You were right to be suspicious,’ he said, without even saying hello. ‘It’s a set-up. It turns out they’ve just come to the Federal Police’s attention yesterday and investigations are underway. It’s a husband and wife team who are believed to be experts. They move from one job to another, changing their identities as they go. On this occasion, they’ve preyed on the families of gambling addicts. It seems they assume that these people are already in debt and have families that want to help. They set it up so they give you money up front and show it earning incredible amounts in periods sometimes as short as twenty-four hours. The gambler then enlists their friends and family to invest, and when this money is deposited into the account, it disappears. They’ve had close to six hundred thousand invested in the past two days, which our guys believe is about to disappear.’
‘Seventy-five of it belongs to my dad and his wife.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that, Hannah. You might want to go and visit them before they find out themselves. We believe that all traces of Jacob and Eliza, as they go by, will disappear in the next twelve to twenty-four hours, along with the money.’
‘Surely if they’re being watched then the money can be frozen somewhere?’
‘I’d like to think that will be the case, but I can’t guarantee it. If they’re clever, that account your father invested into will have been instantly rerouted to a Swiss bank account or another offshore account that’s difficult to trace. They’ve also made it very difficult to track them down. They are a very well-protected online presence. The police don’t know who they are.’
‘Really? But they met with my sister. Had drinks with her. If the police are monitoring the situation, wouldn’t they know that? Surely they’ve read the chat room conversations?’
Julian was silent for a moment. ‘I’ll need to check, but yes, I would think the police are aware. As I said, they are monitoring the situation. But I’ll pass it on anyway. Do you know the details of where and when?’
Hannah thought back to the chat room conversation about the meet-up. ‘Yes, it was at The Winery in Richmond the Saturday before last. Nat met them at about two o’clock but, in theory, Jacob and Eliza had lunch there beforehand. They wanted me to go too, but I declined. That was all detailed in the chat room.’
‘So, you don’t know what Eliza looks like?’
‘No, but Nat does. Do you want to speak to her?’
‘I’ll chat with my contact at the police. I imagine they have plans to contact Nat or will want to encourage another meet-up. That would be the easiest way to catch these two.’
‘If you don’t catch them, you’re suggesting the money could be gone for good?’
‘It’s the most likely situation. For now, inform anyone in your family who was investing to stop immediately.’
Hannah was doing her best to digest all this information. Her father might have lost seventy-five thousand dollars, digging himself into an even bigger hole than he was already in. And she hated that she’d be the one who’d have to tell her sister. Nat was finally feeling like she was getting her life and finances together. Finding out that she was back at square one was going to be hard. But was it all lost? What if there was a way she could lead the Federal Police straight to Eliza?
Hannah couldn’t sit at work any longer. She went and saw her manager and explained she had some unexpected family issues and would need to work from home for the afternoon. Martin was sympathetic and assured her it was no problem.
She phoned her father as she pulled out of No Risk’s car park and organised for her and Nat to come and see him early that evening. She didn’t go into any detail other than there was an issue with Jacob’s company she needed to discuss, and her father needed to promise her he wouldn’t invest any more in the interim.
Next, she called Nat. She knew her sister was going to hate her for this. She’d somehow decide what Jacob had done was Hannah’s fault. Still, she needed to know, and there was no easy way around it.
‘Why do I need to be at Dad’s at six?’
‘It’s about the investments. I’ve found out a few things about Jacob’s company and need to talk to you and Dad.’
‘Why? What have you found out?’
‘I’d rather talk to you in person. But Nat, don’t invest any of your own money until we’ve met tonight.’
‘I wasn’t planning to. About an hour ago I withdrew the balance of my account. I decided I wasn’t going to get greedy. Part of it is Dad’s, so once it’s cleared in my account, I’ll be able to give that to him.’
Hannah could hear the pride in Nat’s voice and hated knowing that there was not going to be any money for Nat to repay her father with. She didn’t respond to the comment, merely confirming that Nat would be at their father’s before she hung up.
She was home forty minutes later. She scratched Bear’s ears as he greeted her at the front door and made her way straight up to her office. She wanted to read through the conversations they’d had with Eliza, to look for any hint that they were being played.
She opened her computer and logged in to the chat room. LizaE was online. She must have seen Hannah join the chat as a message popped straight up.
LizaE
Hey Suze! What are you doing here during the workday?
BrownDog40
LizaE
Fabulous, still celebrating, to be honest. Wish we were sharing this amazing windfall with you though. Jacob’s offer is still there to invest, but you’d probably want to do it in the next couple of days if you’re going to. I have a feeling our run of luck is coming to an end. Doug and I decided to make today’s investment our last one.
Hannah considered the message. It was like many others Eliza had posted. She created a sense of urgency to invest and at the same time looked sensible, worried that they might lose everything. She wondered how many people Eliza and Jacob, or whatever their real names were, had stolen from? They’d probably ruined many lives. Part of her desperately wanted to tell Eliza that she knew all about her and give her a lecture on why she was a terrible person, but the rational part of her knew she needed to play along. At this stage, she needed to keep her online as long as possible if there was any chance of catching them.
BrownDog40
I’ve decided I would like to invest, but my money is tied up. I checked with the bank, and it can be released by tomorrow lunchtime. Do you think that would be too late? It’s quite a large amount, so I’m a bit worried about taking the risk.
LizaE
Let me check with Jacob and get back to you. He did say he thought we had another few days, but he’ll have a better idea than I would as he’s monitoring it by the hour (actually by the minute, or second, I think!).
BrownDog40
Okay. I’m at home, so message me when you hear from him or even ring me. If you let me know your number, I’ll text you mine back.
Hannah doubted Nat would recognise her phone number, if she happened to join the chat, but she couldn’t take the risk so asked for Eliza’s instead.
LizaE
Perfect. Would be lovely to chat in real life!
Hannah leaned back in her chair as Eliza’s number appeared on her computer screen, then she keyed the number into her phone. She was beginning to formulate a plan in her mind. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was worth giving it a shot.
Hannah sent Eliza a text, and while waiting for her to speak to Jacob and get back in touch she used the time to make muffins for Amy’s afternoon tea. Her daughter wasn’t expecting her home, so it would be a nice surprise. They would take some with them when they went to visit her father and Sue. She wished she didn’t have to take Amy with her, but with Damien still not in contact she had no choice.
Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of her husband. This was the longest they’d ever been out of communication. She missed him. She wished he was here now so she could share what was happening with the investments. But he had enough to worry about. Perhaps she was being selfish wanting to add this to his load.
Bear lay on the kitchen floor, one eye on her as she stirred the batter for the muffins. She was putting them in the oven when her phone rang. Her heart rate quickened. This was going to be the so-called real Eliza.
‘Suze?’ It was a male voice.
‘Yes, this is Suze.’
‘It’s Jacob Swain, Eliza’s brother. She was going to ring you, and will do later, but she wanted me to get in touch to talk through the risk associated with investing now.’
God, he was smooth.
‘Thanks for the call, Jacob. As I mentioned to Eliza, I do have some money but obviously wanted to get a feel for how big the risk is at this stage.’
‘To be honest, every day that passes increases the risk. Looking at the numbers, we believe we have a safe period of another six days. After that, it could drop off at any moment, and we’ll be much more conservative with our investments from that point on. Anything you can invest in the next day or two should be safe. However, I obviously can’t guarantee that.’
Again, just like Eliza, suggesting great things, putting urgency into it and then being the good guy and mentioning the risk. They were clever, very clever. No hard sell, just, ‘Wow, look at this opportunity.’
‘I could get the money to you tomorrow afternoon,’ Hannah said. ‘I’ve been told it will be released by lunchtime.’
‘Can I ask you how much you’re thinking of investing? If it comes under a certain amount, we can loan you the money to get your investment underway today. Of course, there is some paperwork to fill out guaranteeing repayment if it’s required. We have a maximum amount we can do that with, so it depends on how much you’re planning to invest.’
Hannah almost laughed. Again, he was making this sound so easy. Like their firm cared. Instead, she lowered her voice, hoping the seriousness of what she was doing would be conveyed. ‘I’m having one hundred and sixty thousand dollars released. Does that exceed your cap for investing on my behalf?’
Hannah could almost imagine the happy dance Jacob was doing as he cleared his throat. ‘I’m afraid it does. Twenty thousand is our limit. We’d be happy to get that first twenty rolling for you today. By the time you’re ready to deposit the rest, you’ll probably already be way ahead. Amounts are quadrupling at the moment.’
‘You mean my one hundred and sixty thousand could get a four hundred percent return?’
‘Honestly, my predictions are on the conservative side. I don’t like to get clients’ hopes up and then under-deliver. I think you’ll be pleased with the result.’
‘There’s one other thing, Jacob. I know your time might be stretched at the moment, but is there any way we could meet up tomorrow morning before I transfer the money? I’d like to meet you in person. I hope that doesn’t sound silly, but I’d feel a lot more comfortable having met you first. I can come to your offices, so it doesn’t interrupt your day.’ Your offices that don’t exist.
‘I’d love to meet you, Suze. Eliza has spoken so highly of you. Tell you what, don’t come to my office, why don’t we meet for a coffee around ten? I’m sure Eliza would love to come too. Is there somewhere that would suit you? Close to work perhaps?’
They arranged to meet at Cafe Reiki. Hannah hung up, butterflies flitting in her stomach, and immediately dialled Julian Baker’s number.
After speaking with Julian, Hannah was surprised to get a phone call from Amy just before four saying she’d be late home. She and Skye had decided to try out for basketball, and the training would go until after five thirty.
‘Basketball? Do you even know how to play?’
Amy’s response hadn’t been convincing. ‘We’ll work it out as we go. Skye thought it would be good to have a sport we can play next year, and basketball seemed like a fun option. Anyway, I’ve got to go, Mum.’
‘Hold on. I’m going to visit Granddad and Sue. I won’t be home until at least seven thirty. Can you go to Skye’s and I’ll pick you up on my way home?’
‘Yes, fine. See you then.’ And with that, Amy was gone.
Hannah stared at the phone momentarily after she’d hung up. It was unlike Amy to try something new at the last minute, and basketball? What a strange choice.
She pushed it to the back of her mind. It would be easier to talk to her father, Sue and Nat without Amy there, so it had worked out well.
Hannah packed the muffins into a container and set about cleaning up the kitchen, her thoughts concentrated on how she was going to deliver her news. There was no good way to do it, and she could only expect them to be upset.
That was confirmed when just after six, sitting in her father’s kitchen, she watched Nat’s face pale as she delivered the findings about Jacob’s company. ‘I’m sorry, Nat, I hate telling you this, but my fraud guy was the one to provide this information.’
‘What about the money I’ve withdrawn?’
‘The money is only a figure on the computer screen. It doesn’t exist.’
Nat turned to her father. ‘You didn’t invest yet, did you?’
He nodded, his face mirroring Sue’s pale and shocked expression. ‘Deposited a cash cheque into Jacob’s account this morning. The money has gone
from our account. I checked with the bank. It can’t be retrieved.’
Nat put her head in her hands. ‘I think I’m going to be sick. I’m so sorry.’
‘You didn’t make us invest the money. Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault.’
Nat raised her head. ‘Of course it is. You wouldn’t have even known about it if I hadn’t mentioned it to you.’
Hannah rested a hand on Nat’s shoulder, doing her best to convey as much sympathy as possible in her words. ‘You were used, Nat. They’re internet predators. It’s believed they’ve done this before in a range of different circumstances. On this occasion, they preyed on people who had addictive personalities and were willing to take risks with money to get large returns. They counted on you getting money from friends or family. They probably never expected you to invest yourself as they knew you had no money.’
‘But Eliza, the woman I met in the chat room. She’s so lovely. I had drinks with her too, so it’s not like she doesn’t exist. I met Jacob as well. And what about Suze then? She’s the other woman in the chat room group. I wonder if she was real like me or working with them?’
Hannah had to bite her tongue. The one thing she hoped not to reveal from all this was the identity of Suze. She knew Nat well enough to know that above and beyond everything else she’d have trouble forgiving her for this.
‘Do you think I should warn her?’
Hannah shook her head. ‘I think you need to stay out of the chat room for the next couple of days and just let all this play out. If you warn Suze and she’s working with Eliza and Jacob, then it might alert them to the fact that they’re being investigated. If they suddenly disappear, it will be tough for the authorities to take this any further.’