Posted 9 October 2026 · Updated 11 October 2026 · Ilse's own story

Her story

Ilse lives on the Gold Coast. She moved there about three months before she wrote her Facebook post on 30 June 2025. She had worked as a nanny in Brisbane and in Vancouver, and she wanted to keep doing that work in her new home.

Valeria asked her to care for the couple's newborn when the family came back from the United States. While she waited for that to start, Ilse managed their Airbnb, working for Valeria and her husband Joshua.

Then her pay stopped. That was about a month and a half before her post. The reasons were bank problems, and a promise that she would be paid when the family was back in Australia. She stayed patient. She kept working.

When the family came back, the baby care job was cancelled with no warning. The baby was put in daycare instead. And the pay for the month and a half of work she had already done was refused.

Ilse and her boyfriend went to talk to them in person. They were told the couple were not happy with her work. That part still hurts, because Ilse has the messages from that time, praising her work day after day.

The messages talk about pay being pending while a bank account was verified, about the family being out of Australia and the trip back, about sorting the pay the next week, and about Joshua being able to pay, including paying cash.

Ilse reported it to Fair Work. At the time of her post, she was looking for a lawyer.

The details

• When: the work started about three months before 30 June 2025. The pay stopped about a month and a half before that date.
• Where: Gold Coast, Queensland.
• In short: Airbnb management work for Valeria and Joshua, with baby care work promised after their return. The pay stopped, the baby care work was cancelled, and the pay for work already done was refused.
• Who she told: Fair Work first. Then she took it to QCAT, and QCAT decided in her favour on 28 January 2026. The decision is below.

The QCAT decision

Ilse took the pay fight to QCAT, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. After a hearing, the tribunal ordered Joshua J. Hackett and Valeria Hackett to pay her $3,377.90 within fourteen (14) days. The decision is dated 28 January 2026. Case number: Q10777-25.

Ilse also reported the matter to police.

If an employer owes you pay, Fair Work can explain your options. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch, or share your story here. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous.

Posted 9 October 2026 · Updated 11 October 2026 · Shared by a woman in Norway, who stays anonymous

This happened in Norway in 2020, years before the Australian stories on this page. In October 2026 the woman shared her documents and agreed her story could be told here, with her name kept out of it. Every name in the documents below is covered, except Valeria's.

What happened

On 15 September 2020, charges she never made appeared on her personal bank card, and on her company credit card. In her letter to Valeria, she lists them:

• IKEA online purchases of 1,474 NOK and 3,217 NOK on her personal card
• An online PayPal transaction of 13,000 NOK
• Attempted SUNUVSTORE transactions of 472.19 NOK and 944.38 NOK
• 1,403 NOK on her company's credit card

That is 19,094 NOK charged, and another 1,416.57 NOK attempted. NOK is Norwegian kroner.

Her letter says Valeria's name was on the transactions, and that IKEA confirmed the delivery address for the goods. Her bank statement below shows the same amounts leaving her account on 15 September 2020, including the 13,000 NOK PayPal payment, with the reference "GALLARDVALE".

She reported it to the police in Oslo. The police confirmation below is dated 23 September 2020, and it records the matter as fraud, with the offence date 15 September 2020.

Her lawyers then prepared a civil lawsuit. In her letter, she offered to drop the lawsuit if the money was paid back to her. If not, the case would go to court.

Years later, in October 2026, Valeria visited her TikTok profile. That is what brought her story to this page.

The details

• When: the transactions are dated 15 September 2020. The police confirmation is dated 23 September 2020.
• Where: Oslo, Norway.
• In short: her personal and company cards were used for IKEA and PayPal transactions totalling 19,094 NOK, with another 1,416.57 NOK attempted. She reported fraud to the Oslo police, and her lawyers prepared a civil lawsuit, with repayment offered as the way to end it.
• Who she told: the Oslo Police District, who recorded the fraud report on 23 September 2020, and her lawyers.

If something like this happened to you, you can share your story. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch.

Posted 11 October 2026 · Shared by a seller in Mexico, who stays anonymous

This story comes from the Riviera Veracruzana, in Veracruz, Mexico. A seller told it in a Facebook post on 29 April 2026, and the Mexican news site La Nigua then published it. His post is in Spanish. This page tells it in English, and his chat screenshot is translated below.

What happened

A woman contacted the seller about a mattress he had for sale. They agreed on a price and on delivery. As a favour, he paid extra freight himself, because she said she could not pick the mattress up.

The delivery went to Lomas de La Rioja, in the Riviera Veracruzana. The seller and the delivery man set the mattress and its base up for her.

When it was time to pay, she said she had no cash and would transfer the money. He gave her his bank details. Minutes passed, and nothing arrived. Her reasons were: her account was international; his bank was not one of the well known ones; and the money would land in a few hours.

The delivery man was waiting to be paid for his time, so the seller left, trusting the transfer would come. It never did.

After that, his messages were ignored, his calls were not answered, and in the end she blocked him.

In his post, the seller says more people have since come forward about the same woman and her husband, and he linked to another post about them. The news story about his case also tells Ilse's story from the Gold Coast, Story 1 on this page.

The chat, in English

In the seller's phone, the buyer's number is saved as "Colchon Hackett". In English, that is "Mattress Hackett". The messages in the screenshot say:

• Seller: "Good afternoon, I hope you are well. I am the person with the mattress. I wanted to check if I could confirm the delivery with you."
• Buyer: "Yes, thank you very much." "3:30, I'll see you there."
• Seller: "Ok, perfect." "Shall I see you at La Rioja, or here where I have it stored?"
• Buyer: "At La Rioja, please." "What is your name? Because to get in, I have to give them a code."
• Seller: he gives his name (covered in the screenshot) and sends the entry pass for the delivery, dated 25/03/2026 and marked "Furniture delivery". The address and the QR code on the pass are covered.

Read it where it was told

This story was published in the news in Mexico:

• La Nigua (news, in Spanish): the headline says a woman took a mattress by deception in the Riviera Veracruzana, and uncovered a dark history of frauds, even in Australia
• The seller's original Facebook post (in Spanish)

The details

• When: the delivery entry pass is dated 25 March 2026. The seller's post is dated 29 April 2026.
• Where: Lomas de La Rioja, Riviera Veracruzana, Veracruz, Mexico.
• In short: a mattress and base, delivered and set up. Payment promised by transfer and never received. Reasons given about an international account and a bank that was not well known. Then messages ignored, calls unanswered, and the seller blocked.
• What he lost: the price of the mattress and its base. His post does not give the amount. He also paid extra freight himself.
• Who he told: he published it in a Facebook group to warn others, and the La Nigua news site then reported the story.

If something like this happened to you, you can share your story. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch.

Posted 9 October 2026 · Told by an Airbnb guest, who stays anonymous

A guest wrote this in a comment under the Facebook post, in the Surfers Paradise community. The full comment is shown below.

What happened

The guest stayed at the Airbnb run by the couple in Story 1, arriving in April. A few hours before arrival, the booking was cancelled on them, and they felt they had no other choice.

In their words, Joshua was "pretty threatening" towards them, and made them feel "super uncomfortable". In their experience, the couple are not great people to deal with.

They cut their stay short, and lost a lot of money.

Ilse replied to the comment, thanked them for speaking up, and asked if she could message them.

The details

• When: arriving in April. The comment does not give the year.
• Where: not shared.
• In short: a booking cancelled hours before arrival. Joshua described as pretty threatening, and the guest made to feel super uncomfortable. The stay was cut short, and a lot of money was lost.
• What they lost: a lot of money, in their words. The amount is not given.
• Who they told: they spoke up in the comments under the post.

If you are this guest and you want something added, corrected, or removed, please use the right of reply page.

If something like this happened to you, you can share your story. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch.

Posted 9 October 2026 · Shared by a person who asked to stay anonymous

This was posted on 1 July 2023, in a Facebook group for Mexicans in Australia. It was written in Spanish. This page tells it in English, and the original post is shown below.

What happened

The report names two people, exactly as written in it: "Valeria Hojem" and "Zaira Gallardo". The writer rented their apartment to them.

From the very start, paying the bond and the first two weeks of rent was a game. They sent a receipt for a transfer from Mexico. The money never arrived. The receipt was false.

The pair then arrived, paid two weeks of rent, and disappeared. Texts and calls were never answered again.

The writer had to pay a locksmith to get back into the apartment. That morning, the pair answered from another number, and Valeria said she would come between 2pm and 3pm. She did not come.

They blocked the writer, so the writer could not tag them in the post. The report was shared to warn the Mexican community, so nobody else ends up in the same position.

The details

• When: the report was posted on 1 July 2023. The dates of the rental itself are not given in it.
• Where: not shared.
• In short: a transfer receipt from Mexico that was false, with the money never arriving. Two weeks of rent then paid, then disappearance. Contact blocked. The writer paid a locksmith. A promised arrival between 2pm and 3pm that never happened.
• What was lost: the amount is not given in the report.

If you wrote this report and you want details added, corrected, or the story removed, please use the right of reply page.

If a rental like this sounds familiar, you can share your story. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch, and for a rental problem, your state or territory consumer agency can explain your options.

Posted 9 October 2026 · Shared by a registered breeder, who asked to stay anonymous

This story was shared in September 2026. The breeder agreed to it being told here, with her name kept out of it.

What happened

She has been a registered dog breeder for 27 years, and nothing like this had ever happened to her before.

At the start of the week of Monday 14 September 2026, a couple came to collect a puppy from her. A lovely couple with a baby. Nothing about them raised any alarm.

The payment was made through RightPaw. She let the puppy go before the payment had cleared. She has done that many times before, with no problems.

On Wednesday 16 September, an email told her the payment had failed. After that, her calls and messages were never answered.

She reported the puppy as stolen through the microchip company. On Monday 21 September, she went to the police. The officer told her the police did not see it as a police matter, because an agreement had been made. He called it a civil matter for QCAT, and told her to call Policelink.

The screenshot below comes from her own messages. Inside it is the RightPaw profile the buyer used. The name on the profile is "Valery Hojem", in Queensland. The application was made on 12 September 2026, and the profile says Valery would like to pay via RightPaw Pay. The phone number on the profile is covered. This page never publishes phone numbers.

The details

• When: the puppy was collected at the start of the week of 14 September 2026. The payment failed email arrived on Wednesday 16 September 2026.
• On RightPaw: the buyer's profile name is "Valery Hojem" (Queensland). The application date on it is 12 September 2026.
• Where: not shared.
• In short: a puppy collected before a RightPaw payment had cleared. The payment then failed. Calls and messages after that went unanswered.
• Who she told: the microchip company, which she reported the puppy to as stolen, and the police on 21 September 2026, who called it a civil matter for QCAT and told her to call Policelink.

The breeder also holds an address and an email address from the process. Private details like those never go on this page.

If something like this happened to you, you can share your story. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch, or contact Policelink or your local police station.

Posted 11 October 2026 · Shared by a man who stayed at the couple's Airbnb, who stays anonymous

He wrote to Ilse on 18 October 2025, after her warning post. His message is shown below, with his name and hers covered.

What happened

In his message, he introduces himself as a guest from the Airbnb of Joshua and Valeria Hackett. He writes that he also had problems with them, and that he had already had a hearing at GC Court, on the Gold Coast.

He asked if Ilse had any information about them, and if they are still on the Gold Coast.

As his case was described to this page, the couple never paid his Airbnb deposit back, and his hearing was at QCAT.

The details

• When: he wrote on 18 October 2025. The stay itself is not dated in his message.
• Where: Gold Coast, Queensland.
• In short: an Airbnb guest whose deposit was never paid back, and who had already had a court hearing about the couple.
• What he lost: his Airbnb deposit. The amount is not given.
• Who he told: he took it to court himself, and he wrote to Ilse after her post.

If something like this happened to you, you can share your story. Your story goes up straight away, in your own words, and you can stay anonymous. You can also report a scam to Scamwatch.