Olivia Ward: How conwoman faked cancer then scammed people out of thousands of dollars
A childcare worker who swindled her community $18,000 by pretending to be dying of cancer has pleaded guilty.
Olivia Ward, 27, admitted in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday that she lied about having a terminal illness before stealing the money from unsuspecting benefactors who had been conned into helping her.
She shaved her head as part of the grift and sought sympathy by telling people in a group text that she picked a coffin because she “liked the design.”
Ward was working at the Amaze childcare center in Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast in February last year when she made up the lie.
Her colleagues at work and community members all fell for the trick, and a fundraiser was held for Ward last October.
Childcare worker Olivia Ward (pictured), who swindled her community $18,000 by pretending to be dying of cancer, pleaded guilty at Southport Magistrates Court
Chadd Small, the fundraiser host, who was one of Ward’s victims, was thankful for that “She finally told the truth.
“Unfortunately I thought Olivia had an end of life journey like everyone else, so I gladly donated that money to her,” he shared. 9News.
‘She’s very persuasive. In fact, she probably deserves an Oscar or Logie, at least for the performance she gave shaving her hair.
“She even looked crooked to me.”
Ward wasn’t a crook, like being sick, but she was a crook, like she was a criminal.
But some of her actions in committing the crime were sickening.
At one point, she sent a group text saying “The next bit of info might be tough…
‘I’ve put the finishing touches and made a choice between coffin and urn when the time comes. Like its design.’
Ward (centre of picture) refused to answer questions when confronted by a Channel Nine reporter
At one point, Ward sent a group text (pictured) saying, “The next piece of information may be heavy… I’ve put the final touches and made a choice between coffin and urn when the time comes. Like the design of them’
The scam began to unravel last December when she filed a police report.
In May, Ward was charged with three counts of fraud and one count of forgery and utterance.
Police said she “earned money dishonestly after claiming to have cancer.”
Mr Klein, that’s one kids entertainer, lost his sister to a battle with cancer last year and wanted to help Ward in honor of his brother.
He had attended school months before the fundraiser was held, as his company often organizes entertainment for children at the holiday shelter.
During the visit, he saw Ward, who appeared visibly ill and wore a headscarf.
“We talked about her treatment and what kind of chemotherapy she was undergoing because I knew all about it after just losing my sister,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“At the time of the fundraiser, I thought she had about four months to live.”
Her colleagues, kids at the school, and community members all fell for the trick, and last October there was even a fundraiser for Ward.
Mr. Small said while his sister received palliative care, she and her family raised money to help others also dealing with terminal illnesses.
They managed to raise $12,000 and Mr. Small donated another $2,500 to Ward’s fundraiser.
“I thought my sister would love it if I could help just one person and make their life a little more comfortable,” he said.
“Cancer isn’t cheap, the amount of medicine you need is enough to make someone broke.”
Mr Small said he handed the money over to Ward at the fundraiser, who “nicely” took it.
Ward (pictured in the passenger seat Monday) will be sentenced later this month
He also had to pay members of his own staff to entertain the kids at the fundraiser, so all gave $4,000 to Ward’s fake charity.
“We had sitting conversations about her treatment, the whole school community was behind this,” he said.
Mr Small said he didn’t know he had been scammed until he got a call from police in April.
“If you could see how many people she touched with this story,” he said.
“And if you really ever witnessed someone going through cancer, that’s the last illness you’d feign.”
The scam has made grieving the loss of his sister all the more difficult.
“I just wanted to do that money right. I never thought in a million years that she didn’t have cancer,” he said.
Chadd Small (pictured), one of Ward’s victims, said: ‘As far as I know she was very ill and it turns out she is’
“The only feeling I feel is shame for being able to handle losing my own money, but it was also part of the money that was donated when my sister died.”
Ward’s former boss and co-founder of Amaze Education, Phil Mazey, said that a child at the school where they offered after-school care even raised money from her piggy bank.
“It was a very believable story,” he said.
“As far as I know, she was a very sick person and it turns out she is.”
Ward refused to answer questions when confronted by a Channel Nine reporter on Monday.
She will be sentenced later this month.