'Trust no one': 55-year-old Aussie woman warns after being scammed, beaten, and left stranded overseas
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Getting taken advantage of is an unpleasant experience — but one that could have ended far worse for an Australian woman, who recently fell victim to a property scam in Mexico.
And two fellow Aussies were behind it all.
Mary, who is still stranded in Mexico City, was promised a business deal involving a ‘sustainable property’ and coffee cultivation in Oaxaca, a state in the southwest of Mexico.
But upon arriving in the country in December she soon found herself bruised, beaten, and scared.
The 55-year-old Sydney woman had been wanting to move overseas for some time and felt she was ready for another adventure after spending seven years in France.
It was a mutual friend who had introduced her to the Australian expat couple, who proposed the business venture after they had lived in Mexico for two-and-a-half years.
The pair were able to eventually gain Mary’s trust after a year of talking about the partnership. Soon enough, she flew to Mexico.
As soon as Mary arrived in the country, things took a turn for the worse.
She found that there was another woman from France who was enticed by the Aussie expat couple as a potential business partner.
As anyone would, Mary and the French woman did their due diligence by asking questions to verify the legitimacy of the expats’ business proposal.
Mary has a background in legal sector work, which means the questions they asked involved questions about the legal aspects of their venture.
The expat couple weren’t able to answer about ‘95 per cent’ of what Mary and the French woman asked.
Some of the things that stood out, according to Mary, were that they were unable to answer questions about the supposed Oaxaca property and that they were rather insistent that she hand over her share of the money to fund the faux coffee business.
Despite the alarm bells ringing, Mary ended up meeting the expat couple in person.
Mary, however, said the couple went ‘feral’.
She alleges that the woman grabbed her bag which had her phone and passport and ‘dumped’ her at a hostel. She said she was told that she’d get her belongings back when she was transferred to another accommodation.
By this point, Mary was understandably fearing for her life. At one point, she even considered making a break for it by jumping out of the vehicle used to take her to the hostel.
Once they arrived, Mary and the woman got into a fight, which she said left bruises on her arm after she was allegedly restrained.
The woman then attempted to drive away, but Mary placed herself in front of the vehicle, thinking that surely, the woman would stop.
Mary was wrong.
The woman allegedly drove into her, enough to add more bruises to her body, but not enough to gravely injure her.
Mary claims the woman said ‘This is Mexico, there are no laws here.’
And so her worst fears were confirmed: Mary was stuck in the middle of Mexico not knowing a lick of Spanish.
To add to her already dire situation, she also suspected that the hostel and the Aussie expat couple were somehow in cahoots.
‘There was a clear link between the woman and the hostel,’ she stressed.
She then left the hostel — thankfully without much fuss from those who ran the place — but now she had no idea where to go next.
But in a stroke of luck, she chanced upon a sympathetic family who helped her move to another hotel in town.
Mary’s ordeal was far from over despite being able to put some distance between herself and the expat couple.
The days after her hostel exit saw her bombarded with emails from the couple’s alleged ‘extortion campaign’, where they were demanding compensation for ‘damage’ to their car.
Mary has since been able to relocate to Mexico City, where she remains for the time being — traumatised, and fearful of her safety.
She said she broke her silence, under the condition of anonymity, to warn other Aussies of falling into the same trap.
Firstly, she reminded those pursuing business deals overseas to always have separate accommodation prepared.
She then gave a sobering warning on the perils of being in an unfamiliar territory.
'In a place like Mexico, there are many scams. Don't trust anyone,' she said.
'If you think someone is "on your side" because they happen to be Australian, think again.'
She also warned against people who seem too good to be true, admitting that she felt like she was ‘groomed’ for the year she spent talking with the expat couple about the faux business deal.
The husband, in particular, was ‘kind and understanding’.
Mary, who says she’s not the type to be ‘easily fooled’, is now the picture of regret.
‘I thought we had the same values, that we were all on the same page,' she said.
'I'm not stupid but I feel stupid.’
Mary has said that the ‘sustainable property’ she was first offered turned out to be ‘communal land’.
It remains unclear if the French woman encountered similar treatment.
Meanwhile, it is also understood that Mary has sought assistance from the Australian Embassy in Mexico as well as legal representation back home.
Her legal counsel says that while they expect Mary back home soon in Sydney, they also aren’t counting on local authorities to pursue the matter at length because they’re ‘infamous for their corruption and poor policing’.
According to Scam Watch statistics, there were 9,361 reports of investment scams in Australia in 2022. Of this figure, almost half or 47.7 per cent resulted in financial losses amounting to a total of $377.3 million.
On the topic of cautionary tales, here are other stories you might find interesting:
You can reach Scam Watch through this link or through their directory of related services here.
So, what are your thoughts on this story? Do you have a similar experience of trusting someone and ending up regretting your choice? What happened?
Tell us your opinions and stories below!
And two fellow Aussies were behind it all.
Mary, who is still stranded in Mexico City, was promised a business deal involving a ‘sustainable property’ and coffee cultivation in Oaxaca, a state in the southwest of Mexico.
But upon arriving in the country in December she soon found herself bruised, beaten, and scared.
The 55-year-old Sydney woman had been wanting to move overseas for some time and felt she was ready for another adventure after spending seven years in France.
It was a mutual friend who had introduced her to the Australian expat couple, who proposed the business venture after they had lived in Mexico for two-and-a-half years.
The pair were able to eventually gain Mary’s trust after a year of talking about the partnership. Soon enough, she flew to Mexico.
As soon as Mary arrived in the country, things took a turn for the worse.
Oaxaca City, the eponymous capital of the province, is located near the southern tip of Mexico. Image Credit: Flickr
She found that there was another woman from France who was enticed by the Aussie expat couple as a potential business partner.
As anyone would, Mary and the French woman did their due diligence by asking questions to verify the legitimacy of the expats’ business proposal.
Mary has a background in legal sector work, which means the questions they asked involved questions about the legal aspects of their venture.
The expat couple weren’t able to answer about ‘95 per cent’ of what Mary and the French woman asked.
Some of the things that stood out, according to Mary, were that they were unable to answer questions about the supposed Oaxaca property and that they were rather insistent that she hand over her share of the money to fund the faux coffee business.
Despite the alarm bells ringing, Mary ended up meeting the expat couple in person.
Mary, however, said the couple went ‘feral’.
She alleges that the woman grabbed her bag which had her phone and passport and ‘dumped’ her at a hostel. She said she was told that she’d get her belongings back when she was transferred to another accommodation.
By this point, Mary was understandably fearing for her life. At one point, she even considered making a break for it by jumping out of the vehicle used to take her to the hostel.
Once they arrived, Mary and the woman got into a fight, which she said left bruises on her arm after she was allegedly restrained.
The woman then attempted to drive away, but Mary placed herself in front of the vehicle, thinking that surely, the woman would stop.
Mary was wrong.
Mary got bruises from an altercation with the female Aussie expat who tried to restrain her. Image Credit: Flickr
The woman allegedly drove into her, enough to add more bruises to her body, but not enough to gravely injure her.
Mary claims the woman said ‘This is Mexico, there are no laws here.’
And so her worst fears were confirmed: Mary was stuck in the middle of Mexico not knowing a lick of Spanish.
To add to her already dire situation, she also suspected that the hostel and the Aussie expat couple were somehow in cahoots.
‘There was a clear link between the woman and the hostel,’ she stressed.
She then left the hostel — thankfully without much fuss from those who ran the place — but now she had no idea where to go next.
But in a stroke of luck, she chanced upon a sympathetic family who helped her move to another hotel in town.
Mary’s ordeal was far from over despite being able to put some distance between herself and the expat couple.
The days after her hostel exit saw her bombarded with emails from the couple’s alleged ‘extortion campaign’, where they were demanding compensation for ‘damage’ to their car.
Mary has since been able to relocate to Mexico City, where she remains for the time being — traumatised, and fearful of her safety.
She said she broke her silence, under the condition of anonymity, to warn other Aussies of falling into the same trap.
Firstly, she reminded those pursuing business deals overseas to always have separate accommodation prepared.
She then gave a sobering warning on the perils of being in an unfamiliar territory.
'In a place like Mexico, there are many scams. Don't trust anyone,' she said.
'If you think someone is "on your side" because they happen to be Australian, think again.'
As in Mary's case, one sign of an investment scam is the victim being rushed to contribute cash. Image Credit: Seniors Discount Club
She also warned against people who seem too good to be true, admitting that she felt like she was ‘groomed’ for the year she spent talking with the expat couple about the faux business deal.
The husband, in particular, was ‘kind and understanding’.
Mary, who says she’s not the type to be ‘easily fooled’, is now the picture of regret.
‘I thought we had the same values, that we were all on the same page,' she said.
'I'm not stupid but I feel stupid.’
Mary has said that the ‘sustainable property’ she was first offered turned out to be ‘communal land’.
It remains unclear if the French woman encountered similar treatment.
Meanwhile, it is also understood that Mary has sought assistance from the Australian Embassy in Mexico as well as legal representation back home.
Her legal counsel says that while they expect Mary back home soon in Sydney, they also aren’t counting on local authorities to pursue the matter at length because they’re ‘infamous for their corruption and poor policing’.
On the topic of cautionary tales, here are other stories you might find interesting:
- Shockingly Cruel Hoax Scams 'Vulnerable' Pensioner Out of $2500 - Here's How To Avoid It
- How one small business owner was scammed while on holiday
- Protect your heart (and bank account) this Valentine's Day from surging 'romance scams'
You can reach Scam Watch through this link or through their directory of related services here.
So, what are your thoughts on this story? Do you have a similar experience of trusting someone and ending up regretting your choice? What happened?
Tell us your opinions and stories below!
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