It looked like an innocent dating ad in a local newspaper. But in the end it cost three Aussie boys $500,000. This is their tragic story as they searched for love
A romance scam in which three men were duped for nearly $500,000 and a trio faced a series of fraud charges has likely resulted in more fraud victims who have not spoken up, police allege.
Two Benowa women, aged 52 and 29, and a 52-year-old man from Mermaid Beach have been charged by Queensland Police with offenses including fraud, receiving contaminated property, possessing contaminated property and breaching an order over access to electronically stored information.
It is alleged that the trio defrauded three men between June 2022 and February this year.
Two men in their 70s engaged in a paid dating service after responding to a personal ad in a newspaper, making payments to a woman in her 50s who claimed to be a widow.
Police allege the woman claimed she needed large payments to get out of an employment contract.
“There are likely to be more victims and complainants, not just locally, but across the country,” Detective Inspector Jason Chetham told reporters on Thursday.
We would like to ask anyone who has information about these crimes, whether he or she is a witness or a complainant, to come forward.
We like to listen to their story. We won’t judge them at all.’
An advertisement in a newspaper that the police believe is related to the investigation
Police allege that three men were scammed out of nearly half a million dollars
The two Benowa women have each been charged with five counts of fraud.
One of the men lost about $42,000 before raising concerns about potential scams with a friend.
His case was handed over to the police in February.
A second man from the Cassowary Coast lost a total of $343,500 before reporting the scam to police in March.
In July, police conducted searches at two addresses in Benowa on the Gold Coast and an address in Mermaid Beach, where they recovered $79,200 in cash wrapped in pillows.
Investigations at the properties led police to evidence of a third man duped under the same scam, in which a Western Australian man in his 50s was allegedly swindled out of more than $111,000.
The 52-year-old faces additional charges of receiving contaminated property, possessing contaminated property and violating an order over access to electronically stored information.
Two women are due to appear in court next month
Both are expected to appear before Southport Magistrates Court on October 3.
The 52-year-old man from Mermaid Beach has been charged with four counts of fraud and is expected to appear before the same court on September 18.
Detective Inspector Chetham said shame can be a barrier for people to come forward, but police are handling these incidents in a non-judgmental manner.
“We can also provide them with support services if they have been victims of a crime,” he said.
‘If you end up in a situation where you have to pay money to introduce people, it immediately sends an alarm signal.’