A grandmother has been left suicidal after losing her entire $850,000 superannuation fund to 'pump and dump' scammers who posed as a government economic expert.
asserted
who → leave → expert
Linda Codling, 81, had finally been planning her retirement after working for 66 years since she was 15 and raising two sons as a single mother.
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she → plan → mother
But in January, she received a random WhatsApp message inviting her to learn about short-term stock-market investments.
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she → receive → investments
'It asked if I wanted to learn how to use the stock market for short-term gains,' she told the Daily Mail from her unit on Sydney's lower north shore.
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she → ask → shore
'I thought, 'Well, I'm about to retire, that might be something interesting for me to do.
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me → think → ?
So I said I'd like to have a look at it.
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I → say → it
But after a series of credible confidence tricks, she was told to buy into stocks just before their value crashed by 99 per cent and she lost her entire retirement fund.
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she → tell → fund
The drug and alcohol counsellor at Sydney's Silverwater prison had been led to believe the investment scheme was headed by economics guru, Stephen Koukoulas.
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scheme → lead → guru
Known as 'The Kouk', he is one of Australia's leading economic analysts who worked as a senior advisor to Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
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who → know → Gillard
The group was being run by scammers impersonating him, and she was conned into believing the elaborate hoax.
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she → run → hoax
Linda Codling, 81, had finally been planning her retirement after working for 66 years since she was 15 and raising two sons as a single mother (she is pictured with her son, Andy Macnab)
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she → plan → son
The scammer posed as Stephen Koukoulas, known as 'The Kouk', and one of Australia's leading economic analysts who worked as a senior advisor to Prime Minister Julia Gillard
'
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who → pose → Gillard
They said he's got a team that works for him and studies the stock market and recommend stocks to buy in a group chat,' she said.
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she → say → chat
'It was nice to be part of this group, because I live on my own and I quite enjoyed it.
'
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I → live → it
I made some money on the first trade, but I suppose that was all part of the plan.'
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that → make → plan
The 'advisers' later encouraged her to invest in the New York Stock Exchange.
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advisers → encourage → Exchange
Ms Codling transferred her savings and even sold her gold and silver to boost her investment funds.
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Codling → transfer → funds
But around January, her stocks crashed.
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stocks → crash → January
'They told me something bad had happened in America but that Stephen and the team were going over to meet with the FBI and not to worry, that I'd be fully reimbursed,' she said.
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she → tell → FBI
'It was all done professionally so I felt I had nothing to worry about.
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I → do → nothing
They said it would be all settled by July and everyone will have their money back.
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everyone → say → money
But when the end of July came, she said her 'advisers' were 'missing in action'.
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advisers → come → action
Linda Codling (pictured) has since received medical treatment for stress, which has left her unable to sleep
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which → picture → her
I could not believe it.
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I → believe → it
I thought, 'Oh, I am going to kill myself.
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I → think → myself
I can't cope.
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I → cope → ?
I just can't face the future',' she said.
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she → face → future
Ms Codling has since received medical treatment for stress, which has left her unable to sleep.
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which → receive → her
NSW Police told her she had fallen victim to a 'very sophisticated' scam, but officers said they were powerless to help because the operation was based offshore.
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operation → tell → scam
Her dream of buying a home in Hastings Point, near the NSW-Queensland border, and retiring by the ocean has now been wrecked.
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dream → buy → ocean
'I was planning to retire any minute now,' she said.
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she → plan → ?
'But now I'll have to work as long as I can and then rely on the pension.'
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I → have → pension
Ms Codling's son Andrew Macnab has launched a GoFundMe in an attempt to recover even a small portion of her lost superannuation.
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son → launch → superannuation
He told the Daily Mail his mother was 'no shrinking violet' despite her senior years and that the scam could have happened to anyone.
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scam → tell → anyone
'People need to be very aware,' he said.
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he → need → ?
These things don't just happen with broken English.
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things → happen → English
Linda Codling, 81, was preparing for retirement after working hard for 66 years
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Codling → prepare → years
She was gradually groomed into trusting the people in the group.
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She → groom → group
They provided detailed investment advice, including which stocks to buy and when to sell.
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They → provide → stocks
At first, the investments appeared genuine, and some of them made decent gains.
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some → appear → gains
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
