Was it all a misunderstanding? Find out about the alleged scam on a sick child that shocked a community
- Replies 2
Sometimes it just takes one story to bring a whole community together.
Today, it’s the story of little 6-year-old Mateoh, who suffers from a rare disease called haemolytic anaemia, and his mum Shalyn Eggleton’s mission to raise money for the expensive treatments he needs through fundraising.
Mateoh's story gained the support of a cross-section of people eager to help him in any way they can.
So when Shalyn started to describe to them how she 'couldn't find the donations' she was supposed to receive from a woman named Shaianne, who offered to sell products that would benefit Mateoh, the well-meaning informants were naturally concerned.
Shaianne–who had offered to sell 'superhero' teddy bears with 100 per cent of the proceeds going directly to Mateoh, also wanted to sell other products giving 25 per cent of the proceeds to the same cause–hit back at the accusations, via a direct statement to the television crew.
'I'm sorry that you think I’ve scammed your little boy, but it wasn’t like that at all,' she said.
The woman claimed that one of the major reasons for not sending out products or donating money was due to the issue of 'drop-shipping', which was the method the woman alleged scamming Mateoh and his mum had been using all along.
'Drop-shipping'–a strategy quite popular amongst online stores–involves a store placing orders with external companies without ever handling or storing the product.
In other words, the store never has any physical contact with the items it’s selling, relying instead on a third-party merchant for production, delivery, and customer service-related messages. This also means that the products Mateoh's supporters purchased had never been stocked by her.
'It was a drop-shipping thing, it wasn’t me personally designing those bears for him,' she argued.
Some had reported her fundraiser to Shopify–the company she was using to manage the donation drive via its e-commerce platform–bringing the whole thing to an abrupt end.
'[This] completely ruined the whole thing,' she said in her defence.
Shaianne claimed that affected customers had started receiving their refunds–something Shalyn vehemently disputes.
Shalyn reportedly told A Current Affair team she would like to see the alleged scammer's bank account to see if she had received any money, and eventually filed a report with the police.
The Process of Reporting and Rectifying a Scam
While scams can be deviously cunning and leave you feeling helpless, it's crucial to know that there are still steps you can take to fight back; after all, knowledge equals power, right?
If you find yourself questioning fishy transactions, one of the first things on your to-do list should be to document everything. Keep a record of all conversations, transactions, and suspicious activity. These records will prove vital if the matter escalates to authorities.
We're lucky to have a solid network of organisations ready to lend a helping hand. To lodge a formal scam report, get in touch with Scamwatch, an initiative of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Their website will guide you through the process and provide you with a wealth of resources on scam protection.
If you're seeing red flags in relation to online shopping, eSafety Commissioner is where you should head. This government site offers a high-tech crime reporting service that empowers Australians to fight against digital age deception.
When money has been lost, financial institutions should be contacted immediately. Banks, payment services or even credit card companies can assist in recovering stolen funds.
But let's not forget in the fight against scams, the spotlight also belongs to law enforcement agencies. The police, like the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) cybercrime unit, play an instrumental role in bringing justice to those who are scammed.
Members, please always be careful when participating in fundraisers organised online. Do some research beforehand and ensure you're dealing with reputable companies with a good track record in customer service and follow a transparent business ethic.
You can regularly check our Scam Watch forum to stay updated and share this article with your friends and family–so together, we can help keep our community safe.
What are your thoughts on this, members? Do you know of similar cases? What happened? Tell us below!
Today, it’s the story of little 6-year-old Mateoh, who suffers from a rare disease called haemolytic anaemia, and his mum Shalyn Eggleton’s mission to raise money for the expensive treatments he needs through fundraising.
Six-year-old Mateoh suffering from a rare disease called haemolytic anaemia, and his mum, Shalyn Eggleton, are fundraising money for his expensive treatment. Image source: ACA.
Mateoh's story gained the support of a cross-section of people eager to help him in any way they can.
So when Shalyn started to describe to them how she 'couldn't find the donations' she was supposed to receive from a woman named Shaianne, who offered to sell products that would benefit Mateoh, the well-meaning informants were naturally concerned.
Shaianne–who had offered to sell 'superhero' teddy bears with 100 per cent of the proceeds going directly to Mateoh, also wanted to sell other products giving 25 per cent of the proceeds to the same cause–hit back at the accusations, via a direct statement to the television crew.
'I'm sorry that you think I’ve scammed your little boy, but it wasn’t like that at all,' she said.
The woman claimed that one of the major reasons for not sending out products or donating money was due to the issue of 'drop-shipping', which was the method the woman alleged scamming Mateoh and his mum had been using all along.
Drop-shipping method and Shopify were used to sell the products allegedly being sold for Mateoh’s fundraiser. Image source: Shopify.
'Drop-shipping'–a strategy quite popular amongst online stores–involves a store placing orders with external companies without ever handling or storing the product.
In other words, the store never has any physical contact with the items it’s selling, relying instead on a third-party merchant for production, delivery, and customer service-related messages. This also means that the products Mateoh's supporters purchased had never been stocked by her.
'It was a drop-shipping thing, it wasn’t me personally designing those bears for him,' she argued.
Some had reported her fundraiser to Shopify–the company she was using to manage the donation drive via its e-commerce platform–bringing the whole thing to an abrupt end.
'[This] completely ruined the whole thing,' she said in her defence.
Shaianne claimed that affected customers had started receiving their refunds–something Shalyn vehemently disputes.
Shalyn reportedly told A Current Affair team she would like to see the alleged scammer's bank account to see if she had received any money, and eventually filed a report with the police.
The Process of Reporting and Rectifying a Scam
While scams can be deviously cunning and leave you feeling helpless, it's crucial to know that there are still steps you can take to fight back; after all, knowledge equals power, right?
If you find yourself questioning fishy transactions, one of the first things on your to-do list should be to document everything. Keep a record of all conversations, transactions, and suspicious activity. These records will prove vital if the matter escalates to authorities.
We're lucky to have a solid network of organisations ready to lend a helping hand. To lodge a formal scam report, get in touch with Scamwatch, an initiative of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Their website will guide you through the process and provide you with a wealth of resources on scam protection.
If you're seeing red flags in relation to online shopping, eSafety Commissioner is where you should head. This government site offers a high-tech crime reporting service that empowers Australians to fight against digital age deception.
When money has been lost, financial institutions should be contacted immediately. Banks, payment services or even credit card companies can assist in recovering stolen funds.
But let's not forget in the fight against scams, the spotlight also belongs to law enforcement agencies. The police, like the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) cybercrime unit, play an instrumental role in bringing justice to those who are scammed.
Members, please always be careful when participating in fundraisers organised online. Do some research beforehand and ensure you're dealing with reputable companies with a good track record in customer service and follow a transparent business ethic.
You can regularly check our Scam Watch forum to stay updated and share this article with your friends and family–so together, we can help keep our community safe.
What are your thoughts on this, members? Do you know of similar cases? What happened? Tell us below!
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