<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/queensland" rel="" target="" title="Queensland"><span>Queensland</span></a><span> family have lost their entire house deposit and their new home after unknowingly falling victim to a sophisticated mortgage </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/scam" rel="" target="" title="scam"><span>scam</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A fraudulent email, posing as their conveyancer, robbed Sarah and Laine Robinson of a quarter of a million dollars. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Benowa couple thought they were being safe with their money when they transferred their $300,000 deposit for their dream home to their conveyancer in person at the bank.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/caboolture-death-police-seek-to-identify-two-men-after-shooting-murder-of-caboolture-woman-chloe-mason/7499d64b-8fa3-4874-8b2e-4257c457d617"><strong><span>Police seek to identify two men after shooting murder of Queensland woman</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Unknowingly, the majority of those funds, slid directly into a scam account and cost them their Mount Nathan property.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We purchased it, we thought we had, and the day before settlement, it was gone," Sarah told 9News </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"$250,000 was transferred, that was lost."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/mortgage-scam-queensland-couple-lose-home-deposit-sophisticated-phishing-email/b4647d69-df98-4059-ace3-a82a852caaa0" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a sea of legitimate emails, a well-disguised phishing fraud slipped through the cracks, the only distinguishable flaw was the "dot AU" missing from the end of the email address.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If they [the bank] had said, 'hey, listen, let's contact where the money's going to and let's double check these details' none of this would have happened," Laine claimed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Gold Coast couple are not the only ones to fall victim to such a scam.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Just weeks ago, Brisbane pair Christine and David Rose were defrauded $40,000 in an almost identical scam.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It had the same banners down the bottom, the same email signature, everything," Christine told 9News.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Robinsons' bank was able to recover $80,000 for the couple said they refused to reimburse the total amount they lost.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They are now hoping their story will help spread the word and save others a similar heartbreak.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We've worked so hard for the last 20 years to get to this point and it's all for nothing," Sarah said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Call and confirm everything that they send you, call and confirm, 'Is that from you? Is this real?'"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></div></div>