‘Walter Mitty’ TikTok ‘doctor’ who gave health and sex advice in scrubs to thousands revealed to be total FRAUD
A TIKTOKER dubbed the real life Walter Mitty has been revealed as a total fraud after she gave health and sex advice to thousands while wearing fake scrubs.
Dalya Karezi, 30, pretended to be a doctor and gave people unqualified support on how to solve their very serious problems.
The crazy Aussie woman dressed up in a doctors outfit, used fake medical acronyms to “prove” her status, claimed to have a degree and told people she had a real job as a medical professional.
She helped desperate people who had cancer, HIV and fertility issues but has now admitted she was completely unqualified to help anyone after she was taken to court.
Karezi gained a whopping 243,000 followers on TikTok and 20,000 on her Instagram as “Dr Karezi” between 2019 and 2021.
She claimed to have a doctor’s degree and made fake letters with her name on to send to patients.
She even made it clear that she was a woman’s health specialist in all things gynaecology.
In emails, she would sign off with RMO and VMO, standing for resident medical officer and visiting medical officer and said she worked for NSW Health and NSW Cancer Institute.
Realistically the con-woman worked in a bank and was worried that a bad decision would affect her job at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia that she kept all while pretending to be a doctor.
Her TikTok’s and Instagram posts even used #doctor to make the idea even more believable.
On October 11, she pleaded guilty to impersonating a doctor and pretending to be a medical specialist at the Downing Centre Court in Sydney.
Theo Tsavdaridis told the court when convicting Karezi: “In my view these are fairly serious matters.
“The improprieties in holding herself out (as a doctor) were extensive, prolific and pervasive’.
Tsavdaridis seemed most annoyed by her online posts saying: “Some transcended the boundaries, (she) offered advice on ovarian cancer, Covid, for people’s toddlers, for uterine fibroids, contraception, paracetamol overdose, wearing scrubs and seen with a stethoscope round her neck.”
The ploy started during Covid-19 when doctors were closed around the world meaning people were more desperate for help than usual.
Karezi took it upon herself to help people by making a new persona and living in a dream world much like the fictional character Walter Mitty.
The pair have a striking similarity in the vivid fantasy world they think they’re living in.
The ridiculous act went as far as her wearing a homemade nametag with “Dr” on it.
The phony doctor was very popular in western Sydney with the Iraqi and Kurdish people.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency also found her guilty of impersonating a health practitioner and using a name or title when not supposed to do so.
The case mainly related to 21 emails Karezi sent between July 2019 and April 2021 in which she told the public she was qualified to use and give out medicine even though this was a complete lie.
Karezi’s lawyer, Erasmus Lovell-Jones, justified his client’s actions by saying she has a Bachelor of Medical Science and Master of Reproductive Medicine degrees.
Her lawyer also said “She was endeavouring to repackage already available health information.
“There was an element of self-promotion. Totally inappropriate, but she was in her mid-20s, and suddenly given attention on social media.”
Lovell-Jones also used her traumatic childhood and “psychological fragility” from her years living in Iranian refugee camps before she arrived in Australia as a potential motive.
Karezi has now “engaged in rehabilitation”, and has deleted all of the posts.
Despite potential penalties of three years behind bars and a $60,000 fine Tsavdaridis sentenced her to a Community Corrections Order for two years and fined her just $13,300.