The nightmare that won't end: Grieving parents 'blackmailed by Malaysian woman' moments before their baby died now find out a FAKE fundraiser has been set up in their late daughter's name
- Melbourne couple Jay and Dee Windross' daughter Amiyah died last Wednesday
- They learned a fake GoFundMe has been set up in their baby's name
- Parents previously made a public plea for their lost mobile phone to be returned
- Instead, they became targets in an alleged $1,000 extortion plot for the phone
- Siti Nurhidayah Kamal could remain in jail for the next eight months
The grieving parents of a baby girl have learned a fake GoFundMe account has been set up in her name - only days after they became targets in an alleged $1,000 extortion plot.
Melbourne couple Jay and Dee Windross' daughter Amiyah died on April 24 after succumbing to an undiagnosed neurological issue she fought since birth.
The parents had made a desperate plea for their lost mobile phone to be returned, as it was full of pictures and videos of their last moments with their daughter.
The couple believe the phone was stolen from the toilets next to Target at Chadstone Shopping Centre last Saturday at about 5.30pm.
While thousands around the country shared their plea and sent messages of support, one woman allegedly lied, claiming she did have the phone, and demanded $1,000 for its return.
Just days after the alleged extortion plot came to light, Mr Windross discovered a fake GoFundMe account set up in Amiyah's name.
Another scammer has targeted the Windross family, who are grieving their baby daughter Amiyah, by setting up a fake GoFundMe (pictured) in her name
Melbourne couple Jay and Dee Windross' (pictured) 11-month-old daughter Amiyah died on April 24 after succumbing to an undiagnosed neurological issue
'As if someone pretending to have your phone and trying to extort money from you when not even in possession of the phone isn't enough,' he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
'Someone is now trying to scam money from the very generous people who plan on pledging their earnings in memory of Amiyah.
'I honestly can't believe the nerve of some people?? Seriously had enough of this!!!'
Mr Windross begged people who have been following his family's tragic saga not to donate to the fake page, and to ensure they used the legitimate link set up by Haylie Barrett.
'I'd rather you spend the money on your own family than donate to a scammer,' he wrote.
'Please beware and share.'
The latest twist comes after Malaysian woman Siti Nurhidayah Kamal, 24, was charged with trying to blackmail the parents, allegedly falsely claiming she had their missing phone.
The mother-of-two is accused of asking for $1000 its safe the return.
Ms Kamal was refused bail on Monday amid fears she will attempt to flee the country.
She reappeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, where she learned that unless her government-funded lawyers can prove she won't skip town she will remain behind bars until at least July 8.
Court documents state Kamal saw the Windross' public pleas for help and 'identified it as an opportunity to make some money'.
Daily Mail Australia has found numerous desperate Facebook posts made by Kamal in the lead-up to the crime asking for money.
She is accused of contacting Mr Windross about 5pm last Tuesday, as baby Amiyah was in her last hours of life, and demanding the cash be transferred to her account otherwise she would sell the phone.
Her lawyer, Royce Dekker, said his client intended to plead guilty to the charge of making an unwarranted demand for cash with menace when it is was eventually heard in the County Court of Victoria.
Don't Judge Me: Siti Nurhidayah Kamal (pictured), 24, was charged with trying to blackmail $1,000 from the parents of the dying baby girl
Kamal allegedly contacted Jay and Dee Windross (pictured outside Ringwood court on Monday) after they made a desperate public plea for the return of the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone
With a large tattoo reading 'don't judge me' visible on her forearm and dressed in a white top with blue pants, Kamal, who appeared in court via a video link from jail, asked how long she could expect to remain behind bars.
The charge of blackmail in Victoria carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail and must be heard in the County Court of Victoria.
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The court is notorious for its lengthy delays due to the huge volume of matters that pass through it each day.
Contested hearings can take more than a year to be heard, while straight pleas of guilty can take anywhere up to eight months to be finalised.
Siti Nurhidayah Kamal (pictured), 24, was charged with trying to blackmail $1,000 from the parents of the dying baby girl. She was refused bail amid fears she will attempt to flee the country
A Facebook post made by Kamal asking for a loan. It is one of several the desperate woman made leading up to last week's blackmail attempt on the Windross family
'It's despicable. It's disgusting,' Ms Windross said outside court yesterday.
'Why would anyone do that and she knew the position we were in. You could tell by the messages. How could you be so disgraceful?'
'The hours that we spent holding our daughter, this woman was sitting in her own house demanding money from us,' Ms Windross said outside court.
Kamal allegedly contacted the couple via whatsapp after they made several desperate posts on social media to help them retrieve the phone. Her husband is pictured leaving court
Ms Windross left her phone in a toilet cubicle at Melbourne's Chadstone Shopping Centre on April 20, and her husband made a desperate plea on social media to have it returned
Ms Windross said she felt some relief Kamal had been jailed until her guilty plea (pictured: an emotional Ms Windross outside Ringwoods court)
During her court appearance, the Magistrate heard Kamal had been working as an Uber Eats delivery person, earning $120 a day.
Mr Dekker, Kamal's lawyer, said the couple left their children in Malaysia and had been trying to make ends meet when they fell on hard times and couldn't pay the rent.
Kamal and her husband, who attended court yesterday, had been unable to pay the rent on their Springvale home since moving in just two weeks ago.
But Ms Windross argued Kamal had no right to complain about her financial situation.
'They're earning more money than we are,' Ms Windross said.
'They earn more money then we've been living on on one wage each for 11 months and we have had to pay hospital bills, car parking - everything. Mortgage bills. And she's in there crying because they don't earn enough money.'
The court heard Kamal and her husband (pictured leaving court on Monday) had been struggling working as Uber delivery bike riders making $120 a day
A woman tried to exploit the couple's vulnerability by extorting $1000 out of them while their daughter was dying
Ms Windross said she felt some relief Kamal had been jailed until her guilty plea.
'She will have to suffer the consequences of what she's done,' she said.
Outside court, the couple said they hoped Kamal would receive justice.
'She needs to get everything that (the court) are capable of giving to her. She has children. She has two children that are still alive - I don't have my baby anymore,' Ms Windross said.
The couple again urged anyone who had the phone to make contact with them.
'I don't have my baby anymore, I can't take anymore photos of my baby. I don't care who you are,' Ms Windross said.
'Give it back ... you don't have to tell me who you are or where you are. Just put the phone somewhere and let someone know where it is so that I can have it back.'
Kamal's busband (pictured centre) did not comment when he left court on Monday after his wife was refused bail
Kamal (pictured with her husband) had contacted the couple as they spent their last precious moments with their dying daughter
Outside the court, the couple again urged anyone who had the phone to make contact with them
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