Woman loses $20,000 to online scammers posing as business mentor
A Victorian childcare worker lost more than $20,000 to scammers who posed as a business mentor named Caroline over six months.
Ashley Grey, 39, clicked a Facebook ad in March and was directed to a fake affiliate marketing website. A scammer posing as a woman named Caroline messaged her daily, convincing her to deposit money into a cryptocurrency wallet.
Ashley kept sending cash even as red flags appeared. The scammers knew about her joblessness, debt, and mental health struggles and used this against her.
They pressured her to use her superannuation and ask family for loans. Grey has now stopped sending money but still receives daily demands from the scammers.
Experts warn that task-based job scams use realistic websites and persistent manipulation to exploit victims across all education levels.
- More than 20,000 dollars
- Total lost
- Six months
- Duration
- March
- When ad clicked
- 39 years old
- Victim age
Why it mattersThese scams target people on welfare or in financial hardship. Scammers use fake relationships and psychological pressure to extract money over months.
