Seniors’ $5m scam loss
Superstar rapper Nicki Minaj has become an investor in the British start-up LOCI, a maker of upmarket “vegan” trainers.
As part of the tie-up, the Trinidadian-born star, 41, has designed 11 new trainers for the company, which will go on sale on April 12 with a price tag of between £145 and £160 ($280-$310).
LOCI, founded in 2021, sells eco-conscious trainers made from “bio-leather”, a mixture
Elderly Gold Coasters were scammed out of millions of dollars last year, with three postcodes – Surfers, Southport and Nerang-Carrara – copping it the worst.
The state government has urged senior residents to beware of scams and be on guard following a record year for thieves, scoring nearly $5m off Gold Coasters.
More than 1300 reports of scams were made by Gold Coast seniors last year, with the biggest losses recorded in Surfers of non-food grade corn and recycled textiles. Minaj broke the news of her collaboration on Instagram Saturday, catching the company by surprise and temporarily knocking its website offline as traffic to was said to have surged by 3500 per cent.
“This isn’t a sponsorship ... I’m an owner and partner,” Minaj said. The size of her stake was not disclosed.
The Times
Paradise and Southport. Unsuspecting Gold Coast residents lost a total of $4,814,489 to the thieves, according to Scamwatch data, while Queensland wide $93m was lost.
Those over the age of 65 have reported the largest scam losses compared with any other age group.
The 4217 postcode of Surfers Paradise and Main Beach was the most lucrative for scammers on the Gold Coast racking up $1,216,603.
The take from the 4215 postcode, of Southport and Labrador,
was $1,017,164, and 4211, with Nerang and Carrara was $1,011,249.
Queensland’s Minister for Housing and local MP for Gavin Meaghan Scanlon called the scammers “heartless”.
“It’s so sad to hear people in our community, and the city I grew up in fall victim to heartless scammers,” Ms Scanlon said.
“We have a large population of seniors on the Gold Coast and we need to make sure they are armed with the information to stop being scammed in the first instance.”
The biggest losses by Australians of all ages reported to Scamwatch in 2023 were:
• Investment scams: $292,623,743
• Dating and scams: $34,344,656
• False billing $27,991,378 romance scams:
The top three scams reported by Australians to Scamwatch in 2023:
• Phishing: 108,636 reports
• False billing: 39,588 reports
• Online shopping: 21,346 reports