“I’ve been in business most of my life, and I’m the one who tells everybody else ‘be careful’ … and then I fell for it,” she told Ben Fordham on 2GB.
“I can’t believe I did it, I feel so stupid.”
The scam has been targeting parents, sending messages from a new number claiming to be the recipient’s child.
Lenton said the scammer claimed to be her US-based son, messaging from a new number after having to get a new phone.
He asked for an urgent cash loan.
“Especially when your kids live overseas, you don’t really know what’s going on,” Lenton said.
“I know that he’s buying a house in the US, and I thought – I don’t know what I thought, maybe he was short of funds.”
The messages come mostly through WhatsApp.
Lenton’s suspicions were sparked when she tried to contact her “son” on his new number after transferring the money, only to get a message saying it wasn’t functioning.
Scam text from ‘mum’ leads to account at Aussie bank
When she got in contact with her real son, and told him about it, she said he “went berserk”.
“When you think your child’s in trouble, it’s normal for a mother to send money,” she said.
Unfortunately, she said, it didn’t appear likely she would ever recover the money.
“Everyone’s got to be so careful,” she said.