‘So, so grateful’: Beautiful twist after $100k car giveaway scam

A young Victorian woman has had an extraordinary turn of luck after having her heart broken in a $100,000 giveaway scam.

Beautiful twist after $100k car giveaway scam

A young Victorian woman’s dream of owning a brand new Nissan Patrol has finally come true after first going through a nightmare scam.

All was sweet for Amelia Conway, a Colac hairdresser, with a brand new, hotted-up 4WD in her driveway until early February.

Ms Conway, 22, had won the $100,000 4WD after buying $120 worth of tickets in a charity raffle organised through Hello Lifestyle Australia.

But a few months of joy quickly ended when a repo man came in the night and towed her dream car away.

Amelia Conway was stoked when she won a Widebody Y62 Nissan Patrol won in an online giveaway. Picture: Supplied

She had flown to Queensland to pick up the modified Widebody Y62 Nissan Patrol in July last year and had driven it home, but her joy was short-lived.

When she attempted to transfer the vehicle into her name and get it registered in Victoria, it turned out the car was still under finance.

On February 1, it was repossessed.

Ms Conway joy was short lived as the car was repossessed in February. Picture: Supplied

Queensland’s Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation is currently investigating the company, which is registered to an accountancy business in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills.

Ms Conway last month described the shock of having her new car repossessed unexpectedly.

“Randomly, without me knowing anything, at 8pm last night, a guy showed up to repossess the car,” she said..

Her attempts to contact Hello Lifestyle Australia for clarification about transferring the vehicle to her name and paying all on-road costs fell on deaf ears — as have numerous attempts by news.com.au.

Days after reports of Ms Conway’s misfortune went viral, her luck took another turn. This time for the better.

The original Nissan Patrol was promoted on social media with dozens of other vehicles. Picture: TikTok

Picture: TikTok

Car Hub Australia, a loyalty club offering subscribers discounts, rewards and giveaways, stepped in to “right others’ wrongs”.

They scoured the country for a new Nissan Patrol in super-high demand with months-long waiting lists.

After calling dealerships across the country, they found one in Wollongong.

The team flew from Western Australia to NSW, picked up the car and drove it down to Ms Conway in Victoria.

A spokesman from the company said if there is anything to learn from Ms Conway’s ordeal, it’s to be wary of companies or charities working in the vehicle giveaway space.

“I know there’s a lot of companies out there that don’t do the right thing. We hold ourselves to a higher standard,” he said.

Car Hub Australia gifted Ms Conway a new Nissan Patrol after she was scammed out of another in February. Picture: Facebook

“That’s not the Australian way – what happened to her. We’re really happy that was a good outcome for her.”

“Let this be a warning to everyone. You’ve got to be very, very careful out there because even though companies might seem like they’re doing the right things, and saying the right things, behind the scenes, you don’t know what they’re up to.

“For us … this wasn’t anything about the business … it didn’t make financial sense, but it was just about doing the right thing.”

Ms Conway said she was “so, so grateful” for the company’s kind gesture.

“Thank you everyone for your support, information and kind words over the last 10 days I never imagined it going as viral as it did,” she said.

Ms Conway ended up with her dream car. Picture: Facebook

“I honestly can’t express my gratitude and happiness enough.”

Ms Conway previously said the ordeal with Hello Lifestyle left her out of pocket by about $1000 in on-road costs and without her dream car.

“It’s not fair on myself or anyone else that has won anything through this company. It’s just heartbreaking,” she said.

Hello Lifestyle advertised itself as “proudly supporting” the Christian youth charity Red Frogs via regular giveaways of customised four-wheel drives, Ducati motorcycles, and overseas holidays.

Red Frogs’ chief operational officer, Steve Davies, confirmed that Hello Lifestyle Australia had hoped to donate $150,000 but had fallen far short.

What’s left of Hello Lifestyle Australia’s website.

“They did pay us a small amount on that [first] raffle but that was all we ever got off them,” he told media.

“They did subsequent raffles, and we never got anything.”

Hello Lifestyle Australia has since all but disappeared online, with its website and most social media channels shut down.

It’s TikTok remains online but has not posted since October 2022, when it was promoting a Ducati Monster 937 giveaway.

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Originally published as ‘So, so grateful’: Beautiful twist after $100k car giveaway scam