The court found that the late Clifford Stanley Perrin, who died at Maryborough Hospital on Christmas Eve 2025, had retained only a small Hervey Bay property as his estate. His hands had been used by a scammer who posed as his wife, siphoning off his savings over an eight‑year period.
Stella Helena Bennett, the woman he claimed to have married online, was born in 1976 and allegedly lived in Massena, New York. In 2013, Perrin sent an email to a friend announcing his “marriage by proxy” and the impending arrival of his wife. Court records show that the marriage certificate he received was a forgery and that the woman never existed.
Judge Treston J, in the Supreme Court of Queensland case Will of Clifford Stanley Perrin [2026] QSC 247, examined the will dated 3 May 2024, signed by Perrin in the presence of two justices of the peace. The document named Stella as executor and beneficiary, but the judge noted that the woman’s identity could not be verified by any phone records, email addresses or financial institutions. Consequently, the judge declared the appointment void and the bequest to her null.
Perrin’s daughter, Alana, learns her father died only after a 2010 DNA test confirmed their relationship. She had been estranged, and the court’s decision means she will inherit the property outright, free of any claims from the fictitious wife. The next step is the transfer of the title, expected to be completed by the end of the month.
Local residents of Hervey Bay have expressed relief that the scam has been closed, and the case serves as a warning to older Australians about online fraud. The court’s ruling also underscores the importance of verifying the identity of executors and beneficiaries in wills.