I'm a Single Mum Who Lost All My Savings to a Scam

Hi I’m Monica

I’m a single mother with two teenage boys, we live on a property in rural New South Wales and are asking for help. This doesn't come naturally to me as i am a very independent person, however I have little other choice.

Decided to Invest in a Tiny House

In 2022 I decided to build a Tiny House on my property with my savings so I could get a little rent for myself and my kids.

I did some research and came across "My Tiny Home Kit" who manufactured pre-fabricated Tiny Homes.

Spencer, the director, offered me a generous discount if I paid the full amount in advance.

The cost was over $75,000 which represented almost all of my savings. I had to work for many years for this money and he never gave me my tiny home.

Over 40 people have been caught up in this scam and he is being investigated by Consumer affairs.

Being Cheated

I made a decision based on Spencer’s promises and went to Melbourne to see what they were offering. Spencer told me I was one of his first customers and he needed the money in advance to pay for machinery to make the house frames.

Spencer gave me a spiel about wanting to help solve Australia’s housing crisis, using some of the profits to help kids in Africa, and told me about his young family. He was very convincing.

Spencer promised me that the home would be delivered within three months and that they would arrange for installation on my property which was included in the price.

As soon as I paid the deposit, which was about $25,000 I started to have doubts. Spencer started calling me and was very pushy about paying the remaining balance, saying that he was eager to get started on my job and telling me that my tiny house was not secured until I paid everything in full, which I did.

I went home and my uncertainty grew. I didn’t hear from Spencer for quite a long time, so I started calling an emailing however I got very few replies or replies that I did get were meaningless.

Putting the Last of my Money into Site Works

I went ahead with my DA application and did the site preparation including earthworks and foundations. This also cost a considerable amount of money.

As the months went by, I became very worried and started to lose sleep. It affected my mental health quite badly.

Delivering Some House Frame

Over a year after paying the full amount upfront, My Tiny Home Kit did deliver some of the steel framing.

Their driver turned up and refused to drive to the site in the middle of my property, even though there was a gravel road in good condition all the way.

He basically dumped the framework in a paddock on my property several hundred metres from the actual site.

The framing is now useless as it is bent.

While the driver was there, I asked about other deliveries. He told us if we want to get the rest of the house, we would be advised to get a lawyer as My Tiny Home Kit were not fulfilling their orders, and there were a lot of people upset about it.

Trying to Recover my Money

In April 2024 I commenced legal action against My Tiny Home Kit. In response to this, they promised to refund in writing however I never received the refund and Spencer has disappeared. The company is now in liquidation and has no assets, so there is little point continuing expensive legal action.

Dealing with this has been a nightmare for me. It’s ruined my life as all my savings are gone.

I have been suffering from stress, lack of sleep and mental health issues because of it.

The matter is still ongoing although I no longer hold any hope of getting my money back.