Scam Email Text: Aussie Loses $150,000 In Life Savings In ‘Kochie Cryptocurrency Investment Scheme’

A Western Australian great-grandmother was cheated out of $150,000 of her life savings when lured by a fake cryptocurrency advertisement.

The Morley woman was tricked by a fake email falsely claiming that Sunrise’s David “Kochie” Koch was an investor. Now she wants other Australians to take notice.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Morley’s great-grandmother was cheated out of thousands.

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Speaking to 7NEWS, a devastated Dale Hambrook says she feels “stupid” for falling for the elaborate plan.

“I wish it could all go away,” she said.

The ordeal began in June when she received an email from an unknown sender encouraging her to join the crypto scheme.

With medical expenses mounting in her life, the 73-year-old thought the email was just the right time to help her shore up her finances.

“I got an email from Kochie about investing in bitcoin and he was doing very well with it and I thought it would be a good opportunity to make some bucks, extra bucks so I could have eye surgery, to cover the out-of-pocket,” Hambrook said.

The email asked them to click a link in the article to sign up with the fake trading system, which initially charged a $250 fee.

But the cost only grew from there.

“There was $7,500 and the next was $10,000 and there was a couple of $15,000 and then it just kept going like this until I was like, ‘I have more money,'” she said.

Hambrook didn’t realize she was being cheated on until it was too late.

It wasn’t until the great-grandmother asked for some of her money back that she realized something was wrong.

“As soon as I asked for money, the contact breaks off,” she said.

‘Beware’

Hambrook’s granddaughter Rachel says the sophisticated scammers actually deceived her.

“There are reviews, there are people commenting with real names, so you think these are real stories — it’s very easy to get sucked into,” she told 7NEWS.

Koch took to social media just last week, warning people about scammers using his picture to snub unsuspecting Australians.

“Beware… 2023 and the financial scams are more widespread than ever,” he warned.

“They are scammers trying to scam you by illegally using my picture and attributing fictitious comments to me.”

Hambrook’s family has not filed a claim with ANZ for a refund and understands their chance of recovering the money is slim.

Trish Blake, Washington’s Consumer Protection Commissioner, advises Australians to ask themselves one question before even entering their details: “Could this be a scam?”

“If this is a scam, then stand back and do your research. If you stop, nothing bad will happen in those five seconds.”

As Hambrook comes to terms with the fact that she may never see the money again, she wants to prevent others from going through the same tragedy.

“Don’t be stupid like me, because when it’s gone, it’s gone.”

– With reports by Letitia Wallace