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The notorious Instagram influencer responsible for shaking Australia’s online wellness community through fraudulent claims is once again under scrutiny, a decade after evading authorities.
Belle Gibson managed to escape criminal charges despite making fraudulent claims on her online wellness blog, leading to one of Australia’s most infamous scams and generating widespread public outrage, especially among the victims of her deception.
The Australian wellness blogger is now the subject of Netflix’s latest limited drama series, Apple Cider.
The series traces the 26-year-old’s journey from single motherhood to international fame in 2013, when she documented her supposed terminal brain cancer diagnosis, shared updates with her followers, and eventually claimed she had miraculously cured herself of the deadly tumor.
Belle Gibson arrives at the Federal Court in Melbourne, Australia, on May 14, 2019. (David Crosling/AAP Image via AP)
Using her fabricated success story, Gibson promoted her recipe app and cookbook, The Whole Pantry, which amassed 200,000 downloads from Apple’s store within a month. She assured buyers that a portion of the proceeds would be donated to charities and the family of a child battling cancer.
In 2015, the Instagram star made a shocking confession, admitting that she had never been diagnosed with terminal illness—exposing herself as a fraud to her devoted followers.
Two years later, Consumer Affairs Victoria found that only 2% of her profits had actually been donated and determined that Gibson had violated consumer law. Australia’s Federal Court ordered her to pay AUD 410,000 (approximately USD 261,000) and barred her from making further health-related claims.
In a court letter, Gibson admitted she was unemployed, in debt, and unable to pay the fine. Under Australian law, financial hardship does not exempt her from payment, and the court order may enable authorities to take further measures to recover the funds.
Eight years later, authorities are still attempting to collect the fines and any accrued interest from Gibson, though it remains unclear if any money has been recovered.
Consumer Affairs Victoria stated to Fox News Digital: “Consumer Affairs Victoria continues to take action to enforce the outstanding debt owed by Annabelle Natalie Gibson (Belle Gibson) under the court order.”
Gibson has not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
While Gibson has yet to be fully held accountable for her actions, her fraudulent schemes have had lasting consequences in Australia.
Although the final chapter of the Belle Gibson fraud case remains unwritten, Australian authorities emphasize that they are still pursuing justice a decade later.
A Victorian government spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “The fines against Ms. Gibson will not simply disappear, and she will continue to be pursued by the relevant agencies.”
