Australian Woman Scammed 70 Brides By Posing As A Dry Cleaner And Selling Their Dresses Online

On January 16, a 53-year-old woman in Queensland, Australia, faced fraud charges for purportedly deceiving brides by reselling their designer dresses online while posing as a dry-cleaning business.

The investigation, spanning six months, was initiated when a bride from Cairns, Australia, who had entrusted her custom-made dress to a bridal company for cleaning in September 2022, observed someone on social media wearing the identical gown. Subsequently, the bride reported the incident to the police, prompting an investigation that commenced in July 2023, reported People.

After launching the investigation, law enforcement informed The Guardian that 69 additional brides came forward with similar accounts from January 2019 to July 2023. Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Matt Hogan told the outlet that detectives had diligently collaborated with the 70 purported victims and urged any others to share their accounts.

"There may be more victims yet to contact police," he told the outlet. "If you have any information about suspected fraudulent businesses, please report it to Policelink."

Australian newspaper the Brisbane Times, the operation was codenamed Operation Victor Rickenbacker. Queensland Police in a statement said, "Cairns detectives executed a search warrant at properties in Edmonton, Cairns North and Smithfield over the following months and allegedly seized electronic devices, documents and replica wedding gowns."

The statement also noted that the woman will appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on January 30.

"At this stage of the investigation we are alleging that more than $110,000 of detriment has been caused to the victims, complainants," Owen Rodgers, another detective, told Brisbane Times.