Disgraced ‘wellness blogger’ Belle Gibson’s $410,000 fine outstanding since 2017
A high-profile scammer’s $410,000 fine is still being chased almost a decade later by Victoria’s consumer watchdog.
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Convicted wellness fraudster Belle Gibson is still being chased by Consumer Affairs Victoria for the $410,000 she was ordered to pay in 2017.
Gibson, who is the now the subject of a new Netflix series, Apple Cider Vinegar, made headlines when it was revealed she had falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with brain cancer and cured through nutrition and alternative therapies.
She was ordered to pay $410,000 in fines and $30,000 in legal costs by the federal court in 2017 for misleading and deceptive conduct.
However, eight years on and the matter still has not been resolved.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan on Thursday said she was “disappointed”.
“Behind the TV stories, behind the dramatisation are real people who have been had their lives devastated by the actions of this individual,” Ms Allan said in a press conference.
“Consumer Affairs Victoria is continuing to pursue this, particularly in the context of the orders that have been made by the court.”
Ms Allan further disputed that authorities have not acted, despite almost eight years lapsing since the two-week period Gibson was given in 2017 to pay the fine.
“There are fines outstanding and Consumer Affairs Victoria is pursuing this constantly and consistently and won’t let up.”
Who is Belle Gibson?
Gibson is an Australian wellness scammer whose life has recently been fictionalised in Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar.
Back in the early 2010s, Gibson had built a successful online following based on falsified claims of curing her own terminal brain cancer through alternative diets and natural therapies.
The launch of her “wellness and lifestyle” app in 2013, The Whole Pantry, marked the peak of her success.
It was downloaded by 200,000 users within 30 days of launch and, alongside a book deal, earnt Gibson an estimated $420,000 in earnings.
After making claims to donate around 25 per cent of her company’s profits to charity, a Fairfax investigation in 2015 revealed the fraudster had only donated a meagre $6,000 from her total earnings.
It was also later found that she had fabricated her cancer diagnosis.
In 2017, the then-25-year-old was found to have breached Australian consumer law in Victoria’s federal court.
In the civil case brought by Consumer Affairs Victoria (CVA), the fraudster was found in breach of the law over claims that she would donate proceeds from her book and app sales to charity, which never occurred.
The subsequent $410,000 fine included: $90,000 for failing to donate proceeds from the sale of The Whole Pantry app, as publicly advertised, $50,000 for failing to donate proceeds from the launch of The Whole Pantry app, $30,000 for failing to donate proceeds from a 2014 Mother's Day event, $90,000 for failing to donate other company profits, as well as a $150,000 penalty for failing to donate money to the family of Joshua Schwarz, a boy with an inoperable brain tumour, according to the ABC and the Sydney Morning Herald.
Originally published as Disgraced ‘wellness blogger’ Belle Gibson’s $410,000 fine outstanding since 2017
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