Latest news with #LisaNock
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I lost £11k to Instagram scammer who posed as TV Bondi Vet star and proposed'
Bondi Vet superfan Lisa Nock thought she had become romantically involved with TV star Dr Chris Brown, but later realised she had been cheated out of over £11,000 A disabled woman lost £11,000 to an Instagram cryptocurrency romance scammer who posed as an Australian TV vet. Superfan Lisa Nock, 44, was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account of Dr Chris Brown, best known for the television series Bondi Vet. Lisa contacted the account, thinking she was talking to the real vet, before the conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began "love bombing" Lisa, even proposing to her. The woman thought they were in a relationship so she agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. The scam saw Lisa transferring the fraudster a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets over a year-and-a-half, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. The funds were largely sourced from Lisa's disability allowance, meaning she went without Taekwondo and swimming lessons to fund the con. Eventually realising that she was being scammed, she cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and reported them to West Midlands Police who reported it to Action Fraud. An investigation is reportedly ongoing. Lisa, who cannot work, from Staffordshire, West Midlands, said she had been talking with the scammer for six months before money was mentioned. She said they "exploited" her disability and financial situation, leaving her with nothing. She said: "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. I never thought something like this would happen to me- until it was too late." The woman contacted the account in September 2022, with the user responding immediately. The pair then began communication before exchanging numbers and messaging on WhatsApp. Lisa said she felt "very excited" when she got a response from who she believed was Dr Chris. She added that she was not looking for something romantic but enjoy the friendship side of the relationship. She said: "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends but then it soon turned flirty, and then the love bombing started." By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said that he "loved "Lisa and claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me." On 23 April 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire to take over Bondi Vet while he visited her in the UK. He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet, where holdings are only accessible by using a private key, Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with her and their communication ended for good. The woman started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. The woman went to West Midlands Police on January 31 2025. She was then told her case had been passed on to Action Fraud and she is still awaiting an update. Lisa said she felt "humiliated and let down" by the incident, saying she was not hopeful that she would get any money back. She said: "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. How can people be so cruel." She added: "To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan."
Wales Online
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
'I thought I was talking to famous TV vet - I lost £11,000'
'I thought I was talking to famous TV vet - I lost £11,000' Lisa Nock thought she was speaking to Dr Chris Brown Lisa Nock lost £11,000 to an Instagram cryptocurrency romance scammer (Image: Joseph Walsh/SWNS ) A disabled woman lost £11,000 to an Instagram cryptocurrency romance scammer who posed as an Australian TV vet. Superfan Lisa Nock, 44, was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account of Dr Chris - an Australian veterinarian best known for the television series Bondi Vet. The crook running the account posed as Dr Chris Brown when Lisa got in touch, thinking she was talking to the real vet. The conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began "love bombing" Lisa and even proposed. Believing they were in a relationship, Lisa agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. For more than a year-and-a-half, Lisa transferred them a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. The funds - most of which were from disability allowance - meant Lisa went without Taekwondo and swimming lessons to fund the con. Eventually realising that she was being scammed, Lisa cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and reported them to West Midlands Police, which reported it to Action Fraud. An investigation is ongoing. Lisa, who is unable to work, from Staffordshire, West Midlands, said: "I thought it was real at the time. Although they were flirty at the beginning, we were talking for six months before money was mentioned. "They knew I was disabled, had limited funds and they exploited that entirely. Didn't have a lot financially and now I've been left with nothing. Article continues below "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. I never thought something like this would happen to me- until it was too late." After initially contacting what Lisa thought was Dr Chris' Instagram account in September 2022, the account responded immediately. The pair began communication before exchanging numbers and messaging on WhatsApp. "I felt very excited because I wasn't expecting a response," Lisa said. "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends, but then it soon turned flirty and then the love bombing started. I wasn't looking for something like that, but I liked the friendship side of it." By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said that he "loved "Lisa. He claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me. I wanted to see him so much, I started going without things like Taekwondo and swimming lessons to transfer the money." Lisa Nock (Image: Lisa Nock/SWNS ) On April 23, 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire - a different vet to take over Bondi Vet - while he visited her in the UK. He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet - where holdings are only accessible by using a private key, Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with Lisa and their communication ended for good. Lisa started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. In January 31, 2025, Lisa went to West Midlands Police. Her case has been passed on to Action Fraud and she is waiting for an update. She said: "I'm not hopeful that I'll get any money back. They are sneaky and clever - they really fooled me. I feel humiliated and let down. "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. Article continues below "How can people be so cruel. To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year-and-a-half, which is scary. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan."
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I thought I'd found love with TV celeb but he scammed me out of £11k in benefits
Lisa Nock has been left feeling humiliated after falling victim to the scammer's cruel trick - she's sharing her story to warn others CRULLEST SCAM I thought I'd found love with my dream TV vet but scammer used cruel trick to swindle me out of £11k disability benefits SEEING the message pop up on her Instagram account, Lisa Nock's heart fluttered. It had only been a month since they began talking but there they were - three little words she had never expected to see, "I love you". Advertisement 8 Lisa Nock lost £11,000 of her disability benefits in a romance scam Credit: SWNS 8 She believed she was talking to Australian TV vet Dr Chris Brown Credit: Getty 8 While she wasn't expecting any romance, she says the scammer began love-bombing her Credit: SWNS Lisa, 44, hadn't been looking for love so it was unexpected to say the least, but what was even more surprising was who was sending the messages. TV vet Dr Chris Brown, best-known for his Aussie TV Bondi Vet, was her admirer... or so she thought. But Lisa, who has autism and mobility issues after being hit by a car as a child, later discovered that the man she was talking to was in fact a romance scammer who conned her out of £11,000 in Instagram cryptocurrency. Superfan Lisa was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account she thought belonged to Dr Chris. Advertisement The crook running the account posed as the celeb vet when he contacted Lisa who believed she was talking to the real vet. The conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began "love bombing" Lisa and even proposed. Believing they were in a relationship, Lisa agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. Over a year-and-a-half, Lisa transferred them a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. Advertisement Lisa, who cannot work, from Staffordshire, West Midlands, said: "I thought it was real at the time. "Although they were flirty at the beginning, we were talking for six months before money was mentioned.' Romance Scammer Jailed Again - Sharon's Story After initially contacting what Lisa thought was Dr Chris' Instagram account in September 2022, the account responded immediately. The pair began chatting before exchanging numbers and messaging via WhatsApp. Advertisement "I felt very excited because I wasn't expecting a response," Lisa said. "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends but then it soon turned flirty, and then the love bombing started. "I wasn't looking for something like that but I liked the friendship side of it." 8 As an animal lover, Lisa was a huge fan of the show Bondi Vet which the real Dr Chris stars in Credit: Supplied Advertisement 8 She received emails from a fraudulent account posing as the official Bondi Vet account Credit: Supplied 8 Lisa says she gave up swimming and Taekwondo to fund her scammer's demands Credit: SWNS By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said he "loved" Lisa. He claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Advertisement Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me. "I wanted to see him so much, I started going without things like Taekwondo and swimming lessons to transfer the money." WHAT IS LOVE BOMBING? EVERY person who is seeking to find that person they want to spend the rest of their life with is prone to love bombing. Before we go on to explain the term, it is important to know that when these things are done in the right way it could just be someone you have found a connection with. Love bombing is often used by controlling, narcissistic and abusive individuals. They try to quickly obtain the affection and attention of someone they are romantically pursuing by presenting an idealised image of themselves. That is the important thing to remember, as a lot of the tactics used by a love bomber are common traits you would expect from a partner. It is all about the context they are used in, for what purpose and how it evolves into something else. More often than not, a love bomber will switch to becoming abusive, very difficult and manipulative once they feel secure in the relationship. On 23 April 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire - a different vet to take over Bondi Vet - whilst he visited her in the UK. Advertisement He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet - where holdings are only accessible by using a private key. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance Lisa Nok Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with Lisa and their communication ended for good. Lisa started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. Advertisement Eventually realising that she was being scammed, Lisa cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and contacted West Midlands Police who in turn reported it to Action Fraud. The investigation is ongoing. She said: "I'm not hopeful that I'll get any money back. "They are sneaky and clever - they really fooled me. "I feel humiliated and let down. Advertisement "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. Lisa Nok "I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. "How can people be so cruel? "To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. Advertisement "I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan." 8 Lisa says she feels humiliated by her experience and has been left with nothing Credit: Supplied 8 Despite everything Lisa is still a fan of the real Dr Chris Credit: Getty She added: "They knew I was disabled, had limited funds and they exploited that entirely. Advertisement "I didn't have a lot financially and now I've been left with nothing. "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. "I never thought something like this would happen to me - until it was too late."
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I thought I'd found love with my dream TV vet but scammer used cruel trick to swindle me out of £11k disability benefits
SEEING the message pop up on her Instagram account, Lisa Nock's heart fluttered. It had only been a month since they began talking but there they were - three little words she had never expected to see, "I love you". 8 8 8 Lisa, 44, hadn't been looking for love so it was unexpected to say the least, but what was even more surprising was who was sending the messages. TV vet Dr Chris Brown, best-known for his Aussie TV Bondi Vet, was her admirer... or so she thought. But Lisa, who has autism and mobility issues after being hit by a car as a child, later discovered that the man she was talking to was in fact a romance scammer who conned her out of £11,000 in Instagram cryptocurrency. Superfan Lisa was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account she thought belonged to Dr Chris. The crook running the account posed as the celeb vet when he contacted Lisa who believed she was talking to the real vet. The conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began "love bombing" Lisa and even proposed. Believing they were in a relationship, Lisa agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. Over a year-and-a-half, Lisa transferred them a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. Lisa, who cannot work, from Staffordshire, West Midlands, said: "I thought it was real at the time. "Although they were flirty at the beginning, we were talking for six months before money was mentioned.' Romance Scammer Jailed Again - Sharon's Story After initially contacting what Lisa thought was Dr Chris' Instagram account in September 2022, the account responded immediately. The pair began chatting before exchanging numbers and messaging via WhatsApp. "I felt very excited because I wasn't expecting a response," Lisa said. "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends but then it soon turned flirty, and then the love bombing started. "I wasn't looking for something like that but I liked the friendship side of it." 8 8 8 By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said he "loved" Lisa. He claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me. "I wanted to see him so much, I started going without things like Taekwondo and swimming lessons to transfer the money." WHAT IS LOVE BOMBING? EVERY person who is seeking to find that person they want to spend the rest of their life with is prone to love bombing. Before we go on to explain the term, it is important to know that when these things are done in the right way it could just be someone you have found a connection with. Love bombing is often used by controlling, narcissistic and abusive individuals. They try to quickly obtain the affection and attention of someone they are romantically pursuing by presenting an idealised image of themselves. That is the important thing to remember, as a lot of the tactics used by a love bomber are common traits you would expect from a partner. It is all about the context they are used in, for what purpose and how it evolves into something else. More often than not, a love bomber will switch to becoming abusive, very difficult and manipulative once they feel secure in the relationship. On 23 April 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire - a different vet to take over Bondi Vet - whilst he visited her in the UK. He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet - where holdings are only accessible by using a private key. Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with Lisa and their communication ended for good. Lisa started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. Eventually realising that she was being scammed, Lisa cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and contacted West Midlands Police who in turn reported it to Action Fraud. The investigation is ongoing. She said: "I'm not hopeful that I'll get any money back. "They are sneaky and clever - they really fooled me. "I feel humiliated and let down. "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. Lisa Nok "I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. "How can people be so cruel? "To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. "I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan." 8 8 She added: "They knew I was disabled, had limited funds and they exploited that entirely. "I didn't have a lot financially and now I've been left with nothing. "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. "I never thought something like this would happen to me - until it was too late." How do I spot crypto scams? CRYPTO scams are popping up all over the internet. We explain how to spot them. Promises of a high or guaranteed return - Does the offer look realistic? Scammers often attract money by making fake promises. Heavy marketing and promotional offers - If they are using marketing tricks to con customers you should beware. Unamed or non-existent team members - Just like any business you should be easily able to find out who is running it. Check the whitepaper - Every crypto firm should have a white paper. This should explain how it plans to grow and make money. If this doesn't make sense, then it could be because the founders are trying to confuse you. Do your research - Check reviews online and Reddit threads to see what other people think.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I thought Bondi Vet Chris Brown was in love with me and showering me with texts and calls. I'm devastated to learn I was catfished by AI
A UK pensioner has been conned out of her life savings after falling for an AI scam that TV's Bondi Vet was in love with her but needed cash after being kidnapped. Lisa Nock, 44, from Staffordshire, was browsing Instagram in 2022 when a fake account posing as Dr Chris Brown bombarded her with direct messages. Ms Nock admits she was lonely and vulnerable at the time at the time after losing her partner in a car crash, and had been left disabled in another traffic accident. But the avid animal lover said her life changed and she was delighted when the TV star said he wanted to meet her in England. 'I was chuffed that Chris Brown had messaged me, I'm a huge fan and hoped this might be our chance to meet,' Ms Knock told the Daily Telegraph. The surprise messages began a chain of correspondence that spanned two-and-a-half year, but the scammers soon told her Dr Brown needed money to visit her. They moved the conversation to WhatsApp and continued to groom her, using artificial intelligence to convince her she was in a romantic relationship with him. 'After a few months, I admit I was enamoured. He told me he loved me and wanted us to marry – of course I said no, and asked if it was a scam,' Ms Nock said. She tried calling the Whatsapp number, but her attempts were blocked. Scammers then used a sophisticated AI program to call Ms Nock via encrypted messaging app Telegram. AI Chris Brown said he hoped the call had cleared her doubts. The conmen also used AI image generators to create 'photos' of the TV doctor and shared them with Ms Nock, a volunteer English and drama teacher. She lives of just $1246 each month from her UK pensions, two thirds of which she pays to her parents in rent. The remaining $400 however ended up being sent to the cruel scammers each month for almost three years. Ms Nock sent the money through gift cards, Bitcoin and Crypto information. 'I was vulnerable and wanted to believe we could be friends, we both love animals, I had lost my partner in a car crash a few years ago,' she said. Ms Nock finally realised it was all fake when the conmen posed as Dr Brown's 'management' team and told her he had been kidnapped, before demanding $40million. Ms Nock has now reported the scam to British police. She also wanted Dr Brown to know people were using his likeness to defraud innocent members of the public. The 44-year-old is now paying off a 'big' credit card debt and suffers depression. She insists she was 'no fool', but fell for the ingenuity of AI and does not want anyone to repeat her mistake. Ms Nock first appeared on Catfished Podcast to say the ordeal left her feeling like she'd been 'groomed'. 'And all of a sudden when it's dropped a bombshell on you, you just lose that trust in anybody and it can be hard to hold down a relationship once you've been traumatised in that way,' she said. 'That will live with me forever.' Dr Brown previously posted on social media to warn the public scammers have been pretending to be him on the internet. 'I'm sorry I even have to say this,' he posted in November 2024. 'But just to be clear, I don't have any other private chat accounts, pages or other special accounts. 'Nor any Telegrams or chat rooms where I have offline conversations. 'Sadly, all of these are just scammers. And not even good ones, the way they assume I talk is a little embarrassing. And trust me, I don't have the time! 'I'd rather be talking pets than scammers but enough is enough.' Dr Brown is one of Australia's most internationally renowned TV figures.
