An Australian woman who portrayed herself as a doctor and gave people all sorts of health advice over TikTok and Instagram revealed she was faking her profession the whole time, according to The Sun.
Dalya Karezi plead guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, Yahoo reported. She was also ordered to pay an $8,400 fine.
Dubbed “Dr.Dalya.s” on Instagram and TikTok, Karezi admitted to dressing up in fake scrubs and revealed she was unsanctioned to give legal medical advice to anyone.
Using her major platform on social media, where she amassed 243,000 followers on TikTok and 20,000 on Instagram, Karezi gave health advice under the guise of having advanced degrees in medicine and surgery, according to the reports.
Karezi also went so far as to sign off her emails and written letters as RMO (resident medical officer) and VMO (visiting medical officer) — deepening the fraud.
The Daily Mail reported Karezi submitted a 1,400-word apology letter to the magistrate overseeing her case, where she claims she is “crying and still struggling” with how she got to this point.
“As I write this letter I am crying and still struggling to see how I got to this position because this is very out of character and I never thought I would be in this position,” she starts off the letter.
“I have taken responsibility for my actions and know there is no excuse for my actions,” Karezi’s apology continued. “I feel ashamed and hate myself every day.”
“Having to tell my family and friends about my actions was extremely humiliating. I understand the serious consequences of my actions and I am truly sorry for what I have done.”
Karezi, a refugee from Iraq who came to Australia at age 8 in 2001, reportedly has no previous criminal record.
The phony doctor was popular to many Iraqi and Kurdish people in western Sydney, and known by many in the community as a woman’s health specialist, according to the Sun.
Unfortunately, “doctor” scams are nothing new and often occur in the US.
One individual who posed as a doctor was arrested after claiming to have the cure for diabetes and advertising his services that were linked to a scam.
Onelio Hipolit-Gonzalez, 73, posed as a doctor on his website and claimed he treated many patients with serious illnesses from leukemia to multiple sclerosis, authorities said when he was busted in 2019.
An undercover officer who scheduled an appointment with Gonzalez at his home said he was diagnosed by the fake doctor with diabetes and osteoporosis after taking a blood test, according to authorities.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office would bring Hipolit-Gonzalez in for questioning, and charges were filed against him.
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