Hellena Souisa dan Natasya Salim
A woman from Central Coast, New South Wales, narrowly avoided becoming a victim of an investment scam after meeting a woman, later identified as Putry Thornhill, on a dating app. Lian O’Grady, the victim, recalled how they initially began discussing business opportunities, and it wasn’t long before she offered him an enticing, yet suspicious, investment proposal.
The scam involved a plan to invest in a villa in Bali, which would allegedly generate income through subletting. Putry proposed that Lian could pay for a year’s worth of rent upfront and then rent it out for a profit, claiming that the property owners would rather accept this arrangement than lose money. However, Lian immediately grew suspicious, recognizing the scheme as a classic scam.
“Putry told me that the owners were ‘stupid’ and would prefer to take money upfront,” Lian explained. “But I knew it didn’t make sense. No one would lose that much money willingly.”
Despite her persistence, Lian was not fooled. He became increasingly suspicious of her motives, especially when Putry suggested that they couldn’t have a relationship unless they were financially secure—and the way to do that, according to her, was by investing in the Bali villa.
Though Lian quickly realized that he was being targeted in a scam, he decided to continue engaging with Putry to see how far the fraud would go. He told a friend about his suspicions, and soon after, the friend sent him a news article about a similar scam involving investment schemes in Bali.
This scam is just one of many fraudulent schemes that Putry Thornhill had been running, and her actions have led to her conviction in court. The sentence comes as a reminder of the risks associated with both online dating and investment scams.
