13 hours ago
Australian man allegedly faked cancer to scam loved ones out of over $1million
A 30-year-old Australian man has been charged after allegedly deceiving his family into thinking he had cancer and scamming them out of more than $1million.
Victoria Police allege the man spent the proceeds from the sale of the family's home in Alfredton, a suburb of Ballarat, before attempting to cover up the loss.
He allegedly told his family he used the money to fund an investment expected to return a $2m profit.
When he couldn't produce the money, he allegedly concocted a story he had been diagnosed with cancer and had been the victim of fraud.
Police allege he then deceived his family members into handing over more than $1.2m, including by creating fake email accounts and impersonating two lawyers.
He also allegedly used a fraudulent document to obtain a new car from a Horsham dealership, in western Victoria, worth $69,830.
Police arrested the 30-year-old in Ararat, in Victoria's central highlands, on July 8 last year where he was charged with 28 offences following a prolonged investigation.
Among the charges are ten counts of obtain property by deception and 13 counts of make a false document.
He is expected to appear before Horsham Magistrate's Court on June 25.
