Bruce Wickett, 79, duped into helping steal $1m in online romance scam

An elderly man who thought he was transferring funds on behalf of a woman he met online was really a “money mule” in a scam that stole more than $1m from victims.

An elderly man unintentionally worked for a criminal network that used fake online profiles to trick victims into believing they were in romantic relationships.

A criminal syndicate netted more than $1m through a series of sophisticated cyber scams including a romance racket that targeted lonely singles.

Details of the fraud were revealed in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday during a sentencing hearing for Bruce Wickett, 79, who unwittingly helped the scammers when he transferred funds believing it was for his online lover.

According to a prosecution summary, the syndicate scammed victims including individuals and businesses by falsely representing organisations before requesting payments.

In one instance, the scammers sent an email to a company purportedly from the Australia Post Credit Management Team with a tax invoice for $255,313.

The scammers requested the money be sent to a bank account, which had been opened by Wickett, before he transferred the partial payment into a digital currency CoinSpot account.

The fraudsters also targeted lonely Australians using fake online profiles to trick them into believing they were in romantic relationships before convincing them to part with their money.

One woman was conned into transferring $42,000 after forming an online relationship with a man named “Michael Palmer” on Google Hangouts.

An elderly man unintentionally worked for a criminal network that used fake online profiles to trick victims into believing they were in romantic relationships.

Another woman, 66, was defrauded of $5200 after she received Facebook messages from an “Alberto Duong” who told her he was an American who was on a secret mission for the US government in Iraq and needed money to feed his children.

In total, 11 individuals and companies were duped out of $1.002m between February 2019 and July 2021.

Wickett became a “money mule” for the syndicate after he was duped into opening 45 bank accounts and transferring money on behalf of his fictitious lover “Rita Martins”.

Using the fake online profile, the scammers conned Wickett into believing he was in an online relationship with Martins who instructed him to transfer stolen money from accounts he opened into other bank or digital currency accounts.

“You were in effect duped into your involvement and didn’t know, at least initially ... that the person or persons you were communicating with were part of a criminal network,” magistrate Tim Gattuso said.

“You believed you were in fact in a relationship with someone online and were simply assisting them to perform what you thought were legitimate transactions.”

A total of $833,273 was returned to its owners after banks detected suspicious transfers but $169,049 was never recovered.

Wickett, who made $2237 from the racket, continued to transfer funds despite being warned by the banks and police that he was involved in a scam, resulting in him being charged.

“When the financial institutions detected scam behaviour and warned you and closed your bank accounts, you filed a complaint against them,” Mr Gattuso said.

The magistrate added it was “deeply concerning” that Wickett had shown little insight into his conduct and maintained he was in a legitimate relationship after his arrest.

In 2013, Wickett, a former insurance broker, was jailed for 18 months after he stole $660,000 from his clients’ trust accounts before transferring most of it to a fictitious woman he met on an online dating website.

He also sent her $270,000 of his own money which was never recovered.

Once a successful businessman, the court heard Wickett was now in financial ruin and living in a boarding house on a pension.

He was also estranged from his ex-wife and children, with Mr Gattuso finding his social isolation contributed to his readiness to believe his online romance was real.

A clinical neuropsychologist assessed Wickett to be highly vulnerable to manipulation due to a neurodegenerative disorder which was exacerbated by alcohol abuse.

“In this regard, your involvement raises some sympathy,” Mr Gattuso said.

Wickett, who pleaded guilty to charges including negligently and recklessly dealing in the proceeds of crime, was sentenced to a three-year community correction order and ordered to pay $3500 in restitution.

He must also complete 250 hours of unpaid community work and undergo treatment for alcohol and mental health issues.