Update on Aussie couple accused of defrauding investors and detained in Croatia

Croatia’s tourism board has denied that an Australian travel blogger ever worked for them after she claimed to boost her profile before she and her husband were thrown behind bars, accused of defrauding investors of almost $600,000.

Adriana Matak, 36, and her husband, investment adviser Luka Matak, 31, have been held in Croatia’s Remetinec prison on the outskirts of the capital Zagreb since their arrest earlier this month.

The former Sydney couple are accused of defrauding five people of about 350,000 euros (A$587,000).

No charges have been filed and the couple denies any wrongdoing.

In her profile, Ms. Matak claims to have worked for the Croatian Tourist Board for several years.

But the tourism board has claimed that Ms Matak’s job claim was “false” and has since launched an internal investigation into the matter.

Senior officials were reportedly ‘shocked’ that the alleged imposter has used the organization to boost her own profile.

‘Mrs. Adriana Matak (maiden name Kupresak) has never been employed by, nor an employee of, the Croatian National Tourist Board,” the board said. Herald Sun in a statement.

“Any statement by Ms. Matak or others that suggests this is false.”

The organization notes that she has ‘written a freelance text and participated in two group press trips’.

“Her participation and the content produced at the time were of the highest standard,” the statement said.

“The CNTB was shocked to hear of her arrest and the allegations surrounding it.”

The council made no further comment but said it was “confident that the authorities are dealing with this.”

Ms Matak marketed herself as a travel blogger after moving to Croatia four years ago.

During this block she claimed to have worked for the Croatian Tourist Board.

“I am fortunate to have collaborated with the National Tourism Council of Croatia and several local tourism agencies in creating content related to the entire country…” she wrote in one post.

She also claimed in a Croatian newspaper that she had worked for the organization for two years.

“I recently attended the second part of the Croatian National Tourist Board’s Visit Slavonia campaign…,” she said in the newspaper.

Before moving to Croatia, Ms. Matak worked as a hostess at a luxury gentlemen’s club in London.

She also addressed past struggles with alcohol and addiction in a piece for Life as a Human magazine in 2020.

“I’m open about my new journey and the struggles of the past because I know what it’s like to consider taking your own life and I know what it’s like to look for any reason not to,” she wrote.

‘It’s ironic because as a travel blogger I always sought the road less traveled and as an addict I sought the road most had already taken.

“I’m living proof that you can change your life and live the life of your dreams, you just have to give yourself a real fair chance.”

The article notes that her work was previously published on Lonely Planet and The Huffington Post.

Meanwhile, Mr Matak previously worked as a bartender when the couple lived in Sydney.

He later described himself in British company documents as a “hedge fund director” who started investing when he was 15, “purely as a hobby, starting with $2,000.”

The couple is currently in Remetinec prison, the largest prison in Croatia and known for its overcrowding.

It’s a stark contrast to the lavish life the Mataks previously enjoyed, with photos showing them enjoying first-class flights, Michelin-starred restaurant meals, VIP boxes at football matches, Rolex watches and Hermes handbags as they divide their time between London and Croatia.

The couple also enjoyed a stay in Dubai during the Covid lockdowns.

Sources claim Matak received £2.5 million ($4.9 million) from investors in Croatia, Britain and Australia, who were promised returns of up to 20 percent a year, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A British investor invested £150,000 ($283,000) with Mr Matak after the pair first met through their respective partners in 2021.

When he requested to withdraw his money, he claims he received months of ‘bulls**t excuses’ from Mr Matak, who eventually went to Croatia, allegedly without returning the investor’s money.

An Australian investor who claimed he had known Matak since primary school invested $45,000 with him in 2017, while three other friends invested similar amounts.

When the investors demanded their money back, they claimed that Mr Matak had failed to return the money.