Aussie mum and model Kate Heussler’s horror at catfishing scam: Here’s why it can happen to you – and how to avoid being caught out
A single mother has recalled the harrowing moment she discovered her identity was being exploited in a shocking catfishing scam – and her nightmare isn’t over yet.
Australian model Kate Heussler felt shocked and deeply violated after learning that images of her that had not been online for years were being used by an unknown catfish in the US.
To the Sydney businesswoman’s shock, her five-year-old daughter also became embroiled in a web of lies.
The 2014 Miss Australia has spoken out about the ongoing ordeal in the hope that the catfish will stop exploiting her identity and that authorities will take action.
Ms Heussler hopes that sharing her story will serve as a stark warning that no one is immune to online dangers and that catfishing can happen to anyone – not just those with a public profile.
Kate Heussler was shocked to discover her identity had been exploited by a catfish abroad
The Sydney model coach became aware after receiving this email from Jeffrey
“It all started two weeks ago and from there it just got worse,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
The story began last month when an American man named “Jeffrey” emailed Ms Heussler to say he had fallen prey to an “obvious scammer” who was using her photos.
He admitted that he had previously sent money to the ‘scammer’ he suspected he was being scammed and alerted Ms. Heussler through her business website.
“Your image may have been tarnished,” “Jeffrey” said in a Daily Mail Australia message.
‘I corresponded with an obvious scammer who sent me photos and inevitably asked for money. This person was talking about your family and when I saw there were pictures of your daughter, I stopped finding it funny.”
Ms. Heussler was initially skeptical about “Jeffrey” because she often receives unusual messages online.
“I get a lot of random questions through my website and I’m a branding expert, so I take these things very seriously,” she said.
‘I was shocked to learn how much he knew about me, including my divorce. That made me feel very vulnerable.’
“I felt like my professional reputation, which I had spent years building, was at stake and someone was trying to take it away from me.”
Many photos sent to Jeffrey were photos of Kate from five years ago and no longer online, including this selfie shared to Instagram Stories
Kate was also shocked to learn that her five-year-old daughter (pictured as a baby) was also embroiled in the catfish saga
“Jeffrey” believed he was in a romantic relationship with Ms. Heussler, despite never having met her.
He provided Ms Heussler with screenshots of desperate messages from the catfish after he became suspicious, along with voice messages from a woman with a German-sounding accent.
‘Jeff. Are you OK? Where are you? Are you home?’ reads out a series of text messages seen by Daily Mail Australia.
The next morning the messages became more frantic after there was no response.
‘I worry. Why won’t you talk to me?’ wrote the catfish.
She turned on ‘Jeffrey’ when he asked for a video selfie.
“You doubted me,” she wrote.
Jeffrey replied, “From day one.”
He was sent photos of Ms. Heussler that were not on her social media, including Instagram Stories from 2018 that were online for only 24 hours.
Alarmingly, the impersonator also had intimate knowledge of Ms. Heussler’s family and her divorce.
Ms. Heussler suspects the catfish has been following her for years.
Jeffrey sent Ms. Heussler screenshots of messages after she fell for an “obvious scammer.”
Ms. Heussler was also shocked to learn that “Jeffrey” knew personal details about her, including a devastating divorce
Then she realized that the situation had escalated into something much more serious.
“I reported it to the police, who told me there was nothing they could do about it because it happened offshore,” she said.
‘It made me feel empty. It seems that cheaters and scammers seem to have more rights than victims.”
To make matters worse, she now claims that the man who alerted her to the catfishing activity, ‘Jeffrey’, has started harassing her online.
She and her associates were forced to stop ‘Jeffery’ from contacting them after receiving 54 emails from him within a fortnight.
He also allegedly tried to book an online coaching session with her and left an obscene comment on her Facebook account about “single mothers” using a fake profile..
‘I believed (at first) that he was very brave to track me down and come forward. He seemed very caring and concerned,” she says.
“We have since had to block him on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.”
After her ordeal, she has heard from ordinary Australians whose identities have also been exploited by catfish.
‘You don’t have to be rich and famous to be exploited. Many are actually nobodies,” she said.
“It got me thinking about how many other men this person may have defrauded by pretending to be me.”
After her ordeal, Ms Heussler has heard from everyday Australians whose identities have also been exploited by catfish fishermen
Many of Ms. Heussler’s photos sent to “Jeffrey” had not been online for four to five years, including this image
She has since reported the scammer to the ACCC, Crime Stoppers and US authorities.
Ms Heussler is now only speaking out because she wants the catfish to stop using her image to cheat people out of money.
“I hope it deters this person from scamming other victims in the future,” she said.
Ms Heussler hopes other Australians will learn from her ordeal by becoming more cautious in their online activities and remaining wary of potential threats lurking on the dark web.
‘Catfishing can happen to anyone. In today’s interconnected world, vigilance and caution are of utmost importance,” she said.
‘Be mindful and think twice about what you share online.’
‘Although I have no regrets about my modeling and beauty pageant past, I am now very picky about what I put online.’
Mrs. Heussler is speaking out about her ordeal in hopes of closing the catfisher