11 stories this week:
The lies conspirators behind Plutus Payroll ATO tax evasion scheme told themselves – 26 August 2023
Lawyer Dev Menon didn’t think that any forensic accountant in the world would be able to untangle the mess that cost the government $105 million dollars. But police were secretly listening – and were up for the test. Plutus Payroll would collect gross wages from employers and then second-tier companies would be used to pay the wages. But rather than taking out the tax owed and paying it to the ATO, the second-tier companies would skim off money and distribute it to the conspirators. The AFP collected more than 30 terabytes of digital evidence and served 10,000 pages for the brief that resulted in a marathon trial that led to guilty verdicts for the five conspirators.
Australia’s federal whistleblowing laws have not protected anyone since inception, analysis shows – 29 August 2023
Human Rights Law Centre says there has ‘not been a single successful case’ brought by a whistleblower under federal laws designed to protect those who speak out. The unsuccessful cases showed cases often failed due to an inability to causally link an act of reprisal to a whistleblower’s decision to speak out. Whistleblowers were also self-represented in 21 of the unsuccessful cases, which suggests “access to justice is an acute issue”.
https://www.themandarin.com.au/229018-latest-official-aps-guidance-for-whistleblowers/
ASIC to crack down on predatory lending – 29 August 2023
ASIC has unveiled its plans to intensify efforts against predatory lending practices, aiming to safeguard both vulnerable consumers and small businesses, as part of its recently released corporate strategy. The strategy underscores ASICs emphasis on combatting scams linked to cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and predatory lending.
https://www.mortgagebusiness.com.au/regulation/18283-asic-to-crack-down-on-predatory-lending
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/asic-to-utilize-artificial-intelligence/
Doctor ‘double dipping’ difficult to detect and potentially unchecked, SA ICAC warns – 29 August 2023
In an Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) report, commissioner Ann Vanstone wrote she was also frustrated by “stalled” efforts within SA Health to address concerns raised in a report published by her predecessor, Bruce Lander, in 2019. She states that there is “a real risk” of corruption and misconduct within the state’s health system.
Donald Trump is facing 91 criminal charges and a range of civil lawsuits. Here’s how his legal problems are lining up – 29 August 2023
Former US president Donald Trump is facing 91 criminal charges and a range of civil lawsuits. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in three of those cases and is due to enter pleas relating to the Georgia election interference case in September. In addition to his criminal indictments, Mr Trump and his lawyers are working to fend off three major civil cases against him. Article details how Mr Trump’s legal problems are set to play out in the lead-up to next year’s presidential election.
FBI helps seize control of million-dollar global malware network Qakbot – 30 August 2023
The FBI and European partners have infiltrated and seized control of a major global malware network that had crippled businesses and technology users for more than 15 years. Qakbot has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage since first appearing in 2008. Where $13.3 million in cyber currency was seized or frozen during the investigation. Qakbot gave criminal hackers initial access to computers via phishing emails.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-30/fbi-europol-seize-control-of-malware-network-qakbot/102793266
Is there a difference between white collar crime and corporate crime? – 30 August 2023
The paper talks about the differences between white collar crime and corporate crime, the penalties, the bodies involved, the overlap between offences and the relevant legislation for both.
Party’s over for student visa fraud, Australian government says – 30 August 2023
A federal government crackdown on “rorts” of Australia’s international student visa system is to take effect immediately. Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil announced that students would have to be in the country for at least six months before moving to “concurrent enrolment” status, which allows more working hours. In a statement, O’Neil said that concurrent enrolment had become an “integrity issue” in international education.
CCC boss tells parliament authorities may have ‘failed in their duty’ before Jacob Anthonisz fraud charges dropped – 31 August 2023
WA’s head corruption fighter has told a parliamentary committee, that authorities may have “failed in their duty” to properly investigate Jacob Daniel Anthonisz, the alleged accomplice of a corrupt WA public servant, Paul Whyte, leading to hundreds of charges against him being dropped. Investigators had labelled the saga as one of the nation’s single biggest investigations into public sector fraud.
Telstra-owned Pacific mobile network likely exploited by spies for hire – 3 September 2023
A Telstra-owned mobile phone operator in the Pacific Islands has likely been used by private spy firms to track people on the other side of the world and steal their data, according to expert cybersecurity analysis.
‘Hundreds of millions’: ACCC calls for heavy Qantas fine – 3 September 2023
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb, has said Qantas should pay a penalty of hundreds of millions of dollars if found guilty of extensive breaches of consumer law, after the airline group allegedly advertised tickets for thousands of already cancelled flights in 2022.
