THIS mother’s $36,000 cancer con looked flawless—until one detail gave her away

A Perth mother’s web of lies has left hundreds of good-hearted strangers across the world betrayed.

What began as a plea for help turned out to be a carefully planned deception that preyed on compassion.

This week, her story reached a dramatic conclusion inside a Perth courtroom.

Tara Michelle Enoka, 35, was sentenced at Joondalup Magistrates Court after admitting to an elaborate fake cancer scam.

She had claimed she was fighting both breast and cervical cancer, raising about $36,000 from more than 500 donors in 16 different countries.

The mother-of-four wept in court as the magistrate delivered a 13-month sentence with 11 months suspended, meaning she would serve two months behind bars.

The magistrate called her actions ‘despicable’ and ‘deliberate’.

The scam began when a man created a GoFundMe fundraiser for Enoka, believing she was battling a rare medical condition.

Police confirmed there was no allegation that the man knew the claims were false.

Enoka then registered as the beneficiary and filmed an emotional video, promoted under the hashtag #StandWithTara, where she insisted the funds were needed for life-saving treatments so she could watch her children grow up.

‘I’ve never been the type to ask anybody for help,’ she said in the video, pleading for donations.

The reality, however, was strikingly different.

While portraying herself as gravely ill, Enoka was actively competing in kickboxing.

Just months before sentencing, she was seen in Bangkok, fit and healthy, pursuing her sporting career.

The court heard she had carefully built an image of a struggling mother while maintaining the physical fitness that directly contradicted her cancer claims.

Her imprisonment meant she would miss her youngest daughter’s fifth birthday the following day.

GoFundMe later confirmed all donors had been refunded under the platform’s Giving Guarantee program.

The fundraiser was deleted, and Enoka was permanently banned from using the site again.

Her case was not the first of its kind in Australia.

In 2018, Lucy Wieland allegedly raised $39,000 through a false ovarian cancer campaign, even posting images online that made it appear she was undergoing treatment.

These cases showed a worrying trend of fraudsters exploiting goodwill during times of crisis.

GoFundMe maintained a ‘zero tolerance’ stance on fraud and worked closely with police when cases arose.

The company reassured donors their Giving Guarantee was the first protection program of its kind, promising full refunds whenever fundraising activity was not legitimate.

Refunds for Enoka’s victims were processed automatically, requiring no action from donors.

While money was restored, trust was harder to rebuild.

As Queensland police detective inspector Chris Lawson explained in a similar case: ‘The real victims here are the people from the community that have heard the stories, have tried to assist as best they can... in the honest belief they are trying to help people.’

Stories like this highlight just how easily trust can be abused when money and compassion are involved online.

While one mother faked cancer to collect donations, others have used similar tactics by disguising themselves as charities to mislead kind-hearted people.

If you want to see how these scams can strike in different ways, here’s another troubling case worth knowing about.

Does this case make you more cautious about donating to online fundraisers?