A 76-year-old woman, along with her friends and family, are feeling relieved following the result of a case that was heard at Broken Hill Courthouse last Monday in which she was a victim to fraud.
The accused, a 51-year-old woman, in a downgraded sentencing plead guilty to one charge of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage or causing disadvantage by deception when she used almost $15,700 worth of the victim’s savings to make purchases of her own between April 2021 and February 2022.
Developing a friendship after meeting at a local bingo gathering five years ago, the accused was said to have almost acted as a carer to the victim, going so far as to assist her with day-to-day tasks, taking her to the doctors, and driving the victim around town.
Towards the end of 2020, the accused would assist the victim with small purchases from retail outlets such as Big W and Kmart, doing so by using her laptop and iPhone, all the while using the victim’s bank cards.
When the victim was residing in South Australia with her daughter from December 22, 2021, and January 14, 2022, the accused made 18 transactions using the victim’s debit card, purchasing items from Coles and Woolworths. The accused also made purchases from Apple.com for varying amounts.
Police attended the accused’s address on November 3, 2022, where she was offered to participate in an interview regarding the allegations. However, after seeking legal advice, she declined. With the accused charged with matters before the court, she was requested to pay back a total amount of $3000 for compensation.
“It’s been that draining on [the victim]. It has aged her more,” a representative for the victim’s family told the Barrier Truth.
“[The victim] said she’d woken up at 2am or 3am in the morning with this on her mind, thinking she’s trusted this lady, she’s taken her in and for someone to be betrayed, I think that’s the biggest thing, betrayed [her] kindness to be abused the way that she’s been abused. It’s been a big strain on [her].”
How the family found out about the fraud was almost by accident. A red light went off when the victim was instructed by her daughter to check her bank statement, which had the victim seeing something wasn’t right.
The accused was even at the victim’s house the next day where they were discussing it, not knowing who the culprit was at that stage. It was here that according to the family representative, the accused commented “there’s some cruel people out there that take advantage of people”.
Of the sentencing itself, the representative said the family were comforted by the outcome which saw the accused agree to the guilty verdict if some of the charges were dropped. According to the representative, it was through the victim’s own compassion that a lighter sentencing was handed down – the Magistrate said it could have been up to 10 years jail time.
“[The victim], she’s a compassionate woman. She didn’t have to testify or get up herself and speak, which would have knocked her about,” the representative said.
“Even the public prosecutor said to us afterwards, with those extra charges, it wouldn’t have made a difference to the outcome. This woman was lucky to avoid jail time – the Magistrate made that pretty clear.
“Probably out of [the victim’s] own bit of leniency, not wishing to press all that, [the accused], she could have been [in jail]. Even the Magistrate, she said someone’s befriended you, and you’ve taken that friendship and turned it into this. That was the part I think that hurt [the victim] more than anything, having the trust there and it gets abused.
“The part that got me, I know lawyers have got to do their bit the best to paint a bright picture, [the accused’s defence lawyer] said ‘I’d note that [the accused] looked at [the victim] as a mother figure’. Really? Would you do it to your mother? I wouldn’t do it with my mother.”
The family and friends of the victim want to ensure the community far and wide know the risks associated with this form of theft, indicating that it can come in all forms and to remain vigilant and alert.
“I might be old school, but you just don’t do it. You don’t have to be elderly. Just be wary that it can happen. It ain’t got to be family members, it can be anybody,” the representative warns.
“As for [advice from] myself and [the victim], it’s just to be careful who you give your bank details to and who you can trust. That’s the main thing because sometimes it’s the closest person to you. It can be family member or friend who’ll be the one that will bring you undone.
“This is the sort of stuff you see on 60 Minutes. You don’t expect it in Broken Hill but [bring it to the] public’s awareness that it can happen to anyone. Because you live in a tight knit community like Broken Hill, you think it’s not going to happen, but it can happen, people will take advantage of you.”
