Catalina de Solieu had high hopes for a comfortable retirement. She had completed her career as a nurse, paid off the mortgage on a property in regional Victoria, and had savings in the bank.

A friend from a network marketing group introduced her to an investment opportunity called Hyperfund, with the promise of using the returns as a source of income for her retirement. After initially investing small amounts, she eventually invested $80,000.

Within a few months, the money vanished.

“I lost my home,” she says three years later. “I lost all my money. I couldn’t pay the mortgage. When I actually sold the house and paid off the rest of the mortgage, I was in a lot of debt. By that time I had no money. There wasn’t much left.”

Now 71, de Solieu says she lives on a pension that barely covers her rent.

“Right now, I don’t have a nickel in the bank or in my pocket. I can’t go to the dentist. I can’t get my car serviced properly.

“It goes on and on. I can’t get it either. [hearing] Checked out. I even had a friend deliver groceries to my door. I have nothing left. ”

This experience left de Solieu feeling depressed and suicidal.

“I became so depressed that I wanted to commit suicide. It’s a terrible thing for anyone to admit, but that’s how I felt.

“I still wake up every morning and sob. Ever since that happened, every morning I can’t get up because I don’t forgive myself and I want to beat myself up.”

Mr. De Solieux is one of several Australians who have suffered losses from the HyperVerse project and is taking part in a legal effort to recover the losses from the banks that oversaw the transfer of money to the project.

UK-based investment fraud law firm Wealth Recovery Solutions has identified an Australian who transferred funds to a cryptocurrency exchange to become a member of Hyperfund, later renamed Hyperverse. This person is leading Mr. Des Solieu’s legal action.

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