12 stories this week:
Trump wall funder pleads guilty to fraud – 22 April 2022
A US Air Force veteran who helped lead a fundraising campaign to build former president Donald Trump’s promised wall, along the US-Mexican border, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud donors of more than $US350,000. He spent the money on a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewellery and cosmetic surgery.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7708559/trump-wall-funder-pleads-guilty-to-fraud/?cs=7484
The Butchers from Brazil: The corporate colossus devouring Australia’s food business – 22 April 2022
Australia’s biggest meat company JBS is repeatedly failing to protect its workers from horrific injuries
JBS is the corporate food giant that controls huge amounts of the meat we eat, owning brands from Coles and Woolworths to Aldi. Four Corners investigates this company who is accused for bribery and corruption in Brazil, corruption and sourcing meat from illegally deforested land in the Amazon rainforest. In Australia, they seem to be encouraged and supported and remain untouched.
Warwick Ranclaud suffered burns to 90 per cent of his body during a fire at a JBS facility in NSW. JBS Australia has an appalling track record in the workplace, repeatedly failing to protect its workers from death or serious injuries. They pleaded guilty to exposing its workers to a risk of death or serious injury and were convicted in November 2020.
https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/the-butchers-from-brazil:-the-corporate-colossus/13853830
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-26/jbs-meat-company-worker-safety-four-corners/101012734
SA teacher loses her $43k life savings in ‘sophisticated’ phone scam – 22 April 2022
A SA Teacher fell victim to a SIM swap hack, where a cyber-criminal had remotely gained control of her phone by impersonating her to her telco provider, Optus, and asking for an eSIM card. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will soon require telco companies to use multi-factor authentication before completing a “high-risk transaction” like a SIM swap otherwise they will face legal action.
Australia’s Westpac Banking Fined A$113M for Multiple Compliance Breaches – 22 April 2022
An Australian court ordered Westpac Banking Corp. to pay A$113 million ($82.92 million) in penalties for multiple compliance failures across its businesses, after hearing the last of the six cases filed against it by the country’s corporate watchdog.
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2022/04/22/664243.htm
Australian banks are repaying 6.5 million customers billions of dollars in junk insurance refunds – 24 April 2022
6.5 million Australian adults have been sold junk insurance by banks, the banking Royal Commission revealed. The Royal Commission ordered financial institutions to set aside $10 billion for refunds, with customers now coming to collect.
Australia’s overheated property market has become a target for hackers – and they’re scamming millions – 24 April 2022
Property settlement scams are becoming more common, as scammers turn their focus to the large and often lightly protected sums of money, that prospective buyers are transferring to the trust accounts of real estate agents and conveyancers. Poor cybersecurity, as well as the failure of banks to verify account names, has made Australia a target, experts say.
Cyber ecosystem nurtures Aussie security start-up – 25 April 2022
According to Crime Stoppers NSW CEO, Peter Price AM, Australia is emerging as a world leader in tackling cybercrime, thanks to more university educated cyber security professionals and a better understanding by business and government of the risks.
https://www.afr.com/technology/cyber-ecosystem-nurtures-aussie-security-start-up-20220404-p5aaq6
AUSTRAC issue financial crime guide – 26 April 2022
In line with AUSTRAC issuing a “financial crime guide” last week, the government’s financial intelligence agency wants banks to adopt more rigorous processes to monitor customers, who may be using cryptocurrencies to facilitate serious crime and to report any suspicious activity.
(Access to digital version of AFR required to read this article.)
Former employee pleads guilty to defrauding Darwin construction business of nearly $90,000 – 26 April 2022
Kristy Gall unlawfully obtained a total of $88,273 from her former employer over four years. The fraud was discovered after unauthorised expenses were identified on a credit card issued to her.
Fee-free Plutus Payroll services ‘too good to be true’, jury told – 27 April 2022
A court has heard that the alleged co-conspirators behind a multimillion-dollar tax fraud scheme, offered fee-free payroll services that were too good to be true and voluntarily liquidated bottom-tier companies to put the Tax Office off the scent.
(Access to digital version of SMH required to read article.)
Federal government receives open letter from 125 organisations, urging help for Youpla funeral insurance victims – 27 April 2022
125 organisations have written an open letter to the federal government, urging compensation for victims of the Youpla (ACBF) funeral insurance scheme collapse. Youpla first came under the microscope during the Banking Royal Commission, where it was revealed it had falsely marketed itself as Indigenous-owned.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-27/youpla-acbf-open-letter-2022-funeral-insurance/101019370
Serious Fraud Office visits Whyalla steelworkers owner GFG Alliance offices in UK in fraud, money laundering investigation – 28 April 2022
Properties linked to British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance – the owner of Whyalla’s steelworks – have been searched overnight by officers from the UK’s Serious Fraud Office. The Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation into fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering at the company last year.
