Melbourne con queen Cindy Dewaij fronts court on 17 charges including fraud and theft

A “con artist” former Gotham City brothel worker left a slew of victims in her wake via a lengthy and sophisticated fraud racket.

Cindy Dewaij has fronted court again. Picture: LinkedIn

A former Gotham City brothel worker has won an early exit from jail despite a slew of fraud offences hanging over her head.

Cindy De-Dewaij, 38, fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with 17 offences including obtain a financial advantage by deception.

The court was told by Dewaij’s lawyer that all matters had resolved and she will enter guilty pleas at court in February next year.

Dewaij, who appeared via videolink from Dame Phyllis Frost, allegedly obtained $17,000 via another woman’s identity.

The serial con queen also allegedly attempted to obtain a further financial advantage and used stolen identity to book an Abbotsford storage unit.

The defence called for Dewaij to be placed on a community correction order when the matter returns for sentencing.

Dewaij was handed an 18-month jail term in August after she pleaded guilty to multiple prior fraud and theft charges.

However, Dewaij had her jail stint slashed to four months after she successfully appealed the sentence in the County Court on October 7.

Dewaij used fake and stolen identities and ill-gotten credit cards to leave several victims including multiple Melbourne women in debt.

Dewaij obtained her victims’ identities to rort cash and splash-out on high-end accommodation, drugs and designer clothes and accessories.

Dewaij’s modus operandi included devious methods she told police she learned form the dark web which included carefully doctoring photo IDs and falsifying documents.

The rorts were uncovered after police were led to an Aladdin’s Cave of fraud material which contained “hundreds” of passports, driver’s licences and Medicare cards at a South Melbourne storage facility.

Folders containing tax statements, foreign bank statements and multiple names and documents doctored with false Victoria Police stamps were also located.

Dewaij also used bogus credit cards and IDs to book herself into luxury accommodation in Richmond, St Kilda, South Yarra, Prahran, South Melbourne and the city.

Dewaij, whose offending occurred between October 2019 and April this year, left discarded identity documents, photographs, pay slips and fake credit card templates at her various short stay apartments.

An owner also found various printing tools including erasers, markers, drawing and drafting pencils, rulers and A4 foam boards and assorted bank statements in an apartment vacated by Dewaij.

Police also found a diary which outlined where Dewaij planned to stay under a particular stolen identity.

The fraudster’s lengthy racket came to an abrupt halt after a victim initiated a sting operation to snare Dewaij at a Windsor post office.

The victim, who hunted Dewaij after discovering $11,500 had been ran up on her credit card, traced a Jadore Hair products order to the post office.

The woman inquired but was told the order had already been collected however the post office manager said another delivery for knee high boots, a Michael Kors watch and Saint Laurent sunnies was waiting to be collected.

The pair set a trap to snare Dewaij when she came to the store.

Dewaij arrived to collect her wares but police pounced and arrested her on April 22.

The fraudster gave police a false name and claimed to be picking up the package for a friend, the court was told.

“I wasn’t doing very well …,” Dewaij told police.

“My degree was down the drain … I f---ed everything up … and I was locked up and I lost my job.”

The court heard Dewaij told police she wasn’t “denying anything” she was just “having a hard time remembering”.

Police also quizzed her about the various identity documents and credit cards.

“They’re just details you can get on the dark web and stuff …,” Dewaij told police.

“I just needed to not be me, I can’t help it.”

Magistrate Fiona Hayes, who initially sentenced the fraudster, said Dewaij was “essentially a con artist”.

Dewaij, who is set to be released onto a community correction order in the coming weeks, will face court again on February 2.