10 stories this week:
Kathy Jackson was hailed as a whistleblower against union corruption – until one man revealed her secrets – 14 October 2023
Health Services Union whistleblower Kathy Jackson was heralded as ‘a lion of the union movement’ after revealing two union bosses had misused funds. One, Michael Williamson, was a former Labor Party president and the other, Craig Thomson, was a government MP. But she too was later found to be a fraudster who had misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars in union members’ money.
Police charge prominent York woman with defrauding WA community resource centre – 17 October 2023
Robyn Garratt, a woman from Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region has been charged with misappropriating funds from a small town’s community resource centre. She has been charged with five counts of fraud by forgery and two counts of stealing as a servant. The centre went into voluntary administration in July, citing financial troubles
Misconduct crackdown: Victoria to establish integrity commission investigating MP misconduct – 17 October 2023
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-17/victoria-to-establish-integrity-commission/102988678
Man charged with 140 financial fraud related offences to the value of nearly $750,000 – Strike Force Meckiff – 18 October 2023
A man will face court, charged by Financial Crimes Squad detectives following an investigation into 140 alleged financial fraud related offences under Strike Force Meckiff. Between April and June 2023, police will allege the company submitted fraudulent finance applications on behalf of 79 customers for the purchase of solar panels to the value of $747,308 – without customers’ knowledge.
Treasurer calls for government agencies to improve cyber security after Super SA breach – 18 October 2023
The South Australian government says data belonging to a significant number of people has potentially been accessed through a cyber security breach. The hackers stole data from a call centre previously contracted by Super SA – a dedicated superannuation fund for state government employees.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-18/sa-government-cyber-security-breach/102993794
Carpet F-bomber: ASIC deputy’s explosive tirade – 20 October 2023
The corporate regulator investigated its deputy chair Karen Chester over her expenses, as well as alleged expletive-laden tirade to a colleague in wake of questions about the claims.
Access to the digital version of the Australian required to read article
Three Chinese nationals sentenced in Adelaide after using stolen details from phishing scam – 18 October 2023
Three men were found to have downloaded stolen credit card details, which had been uploaded to the dark web. 28 Victims had their personal information compromised to the phishing scam linked to the 2022 Optus data breach and lost 26,000.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-18/sa-chinese-nationals-stolen-information-fraud/102993490
‘Digital kidnapping’ scam becoming more sophisticated, as three cases detected in Sydney this month – 18 October 2023
International students in Sydney are being coerced into moving interstate and overseas as part of what police say are “virtual kidnapping” (faking own kidnaping) scams that are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The victims were ordered to pay up to $500,000 or face being deported to China, where they are told they have been implicated in a crime.
Former Donald Trump lawyer Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election interference case – 20 October 2023
Sidney Powell, a former lawyer for Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to aiding the former US president’s efforts to overturn his election defeat in the state of Georgia, agreeing to testify against him if called. Prosecutors allege Ms Powell conspired with others to access election equipment without authorisation.
Corruption and Crime Commission investigating ‘serious misconduct’ allegations in Cleveland Dodd’s Unit 18 death – 20 October 2023
WA’s Corruption and Crime Commission is investigating an allegation of serious misconduct following a teenager’s death a week after he was found unresponsive inside his cell at a problem-plagued prison unit. Cleveland Dodd, 16, died at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, a week after he attempted to take his own life while inside Unit 18, a hardened detention facility for juveniles in an isolated part of adult maximum security Casuarina prison.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-20/corruption-crime-commission-unit-18-teenager-death/103002150
