Dalya Karezi is a 30-year-old woman who pretended to be a doctor and a medical specialist for several years, offering advice on sexual health, fertility, cancer, and other issues to her hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram.
She also lied about her qualifications and experience to get research positions with NSW Health and the Cancer Institute in Australia. She was exposed and charged by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in 2021 and pleaded guilty to impersonating a doctor and pretending to be a medical specialist in 2023.
How did she do it?
Karezi created a fake online persona as “Dr. Karezi”, claiming to have a doctor’s MBBS degree, a Master of Reproductive Medicine, and the initials OBGYN as she posed as an obstetrician-gynecologist. She posted videos and photos of herself wearing scrubs and a stethoscope, giving advice on various health topics, such as ovarian cancer, HIV, contraception, and pregnancy. She also answered questions from her followers, who trusted her as a credible source of information.
She was especially popular among Iraqi and Kurdish residents in western Sydney, where she worked as a community advocate. She won awards for her work in a campaign called “Shisha, No Thanks” to discourage the smoking of Middle-Eastern water pipes. She also used her fake credentials to apply for research positions with NSW Health and the Cancer Institute, where she worked for eight months before being discovered.
Who are Dalya Karezi’s Parents & Boyfriend?
There is not much information available about Dalya Karezi’s parents and siblings, but here is what I have found based on the web search results:
- Dalya Karezi is an Iraqi immigrant who entered Australia in 2001 when she was eight years old.
- She came from a Kurdish background and spoke Arabic and Kurdish fluently.
- She lived with her parents and two younger brothers in western Sydney.
- Her parents were supportive of her education and career aspirations and believed that she was a doctor until she was exposed.
- Her father was a taxi driver and her mother was a housewife.
- Her brothers were studying at university and high school, respectively.
Why did she do it?
According to Karezi’s letter of apology to the magistrate hearing her case, she started lying about being a doctor in 2017, when she met a woman she wanted to impress. She said that she told a white lie that snowballed into a fake online alter-ego. She wrote:
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 also said that she was offering “reputable” help to those who needed it most and that she never intended to harm anyone. She claimed that she had done extensive research on the topics she discussed and that she only repeated what other doctors had said.
However, her motives were not entirely altruistic. She also admitted that she enjoyed the attention and admiration she received from her followers and that she felt validated by her fake identity. She said:
I loved being Dr Karezi because it made me feel important and respected.
She also had a romantic relationship with Thabo Bester, a convicted murderer and rapist serving a life sentence. She visited him regularly and helped him escape from custody in 2023 by providing him with a fake passport and plane tickets. They were arrested at Lanseria Airport after returning from Mozambique.
What are the consequences?
Karezi faced up to three years in jail or $60,000 in fines for each offense of impersonating a doctor and pretending to be a medical specialist. However, she was spared from prison by magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis, who gave her a two-year community corrections order with 300 hours of community service. He also ordered her to undergo counseling and treatment for her mental health issues.
The magistrate said that he took into account her remorse, her lack of prior criminal record, her cooperation with the authorities, and her personal circumstances. He also said that he believed that she did not cause any physical harm to anyone by her actions, but he acknowledged that she had breached the trust of the public and damaged the reputation of the medical profession.
He said:
You have engaged in conduct which is reprehensible … You have deceived not only your family but also your friends … You have deceived members of the public who looked up to you as an expert.
Karezi also faced civil lawsuits from some of her former employers and clients, who claimed that they suffered financial losses or emotional distress because of her fraud. She also lost her social media accounts, which were deleted or suspended by TikTok and Instagram.
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What are the lessons?
Karezi’s case is an example of how easy it is to create a fake online persona and deceive people on social media platforms. It also shows how dangerous it is to rely on unverified sources of information for health-related matters. It highlights the need for more regulation and verification of online content providers, especially those who claim to be experts or professionals in certain fields.
It also serves as a warning for anyone who is tempted to lie about their qualifications or experience or to create a false identity for personal gain or attention. The consequences can be severe, not only legally but also morally and psychologically.
