Her name was Michelle. She lived in Hong Kong, ran her own business, travelled frequently, and had parents in Wollongong.
She had dyed silvery blonde hair and hazel eyes. She wore a small cross-shaped pendant. She liked cooking, exercising and reading.
She’d been single for three years.
Anthony met her in November 2021, when she messaged his Instagram to compliment his landscape photos. Soon Michelle and the 48-year-old single dad from Sydney were flirting on WhatsApp.
Michelle never existed — she was a persona created by a criminal syndicate, probably located in south-east Asia. Her handlers were shift workers operating from a “boiler room” and basing their conversations on a script expertly designed to manipulate.
For the next two months, they messaged every day. He sent photos setting up the Christmas tree with his daughter. She sent gym selfies. He sent beach pics. Often they exchanged photos of their evening meals. Their messages added up to tens of thousands of words.
Anthony: It’s very attractive to meet someone who is not just attractive but is kind and also is smart and intelligent.
Michelle: Haha I’m actually not as good as you said
Only months after she slid into his DMs, Anthony had been scammed two-thirds of his savings, or $240,850.
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