13 stories this week:
Calls for a Victorian police ombudsman to tackle ‘predatory behaviour’, after senior officer jailed for raping junior colleague – 3 November 2023
A western Victorian police officer is sentenced to four years and nine months’ jail for raping and sexually assaulting a junior colleague. An IBAC review has found “predatory behaviour continues” within Victoria Police after investigating 27 allegations of such behaviour between 2018 and 2022. Lawyer Jeremy King says internal police investigations “will never” address this issue and has called for an independent police ombudsman.
Sterling Group founder Raymond Jones faces court over collapse of retiree housing scheme – 3 November 2023
Three men involved in a failed housing scheme which left retirees across the country with huge financial losses, have appeared in a Perth court on criminal charges. The men were charged with aiding and abetting a company to engage in dishonest conduct following an investigation by the corporate watchdog.The company collapsed in 2019 and some investors lost their homes.
Inside the world of fake ad scams stealing the identities of Kochie and celebrities like him around the world – 6 November 2023
Attention grabbing photos of Celebrities are never real. It’s always a scam designed to trick you out of your money. The ACCC has taken Meta to court over the ads in Australia, alleging that the platform has engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-06/celebrity-crypto-scams-kochie-wilkins/103061608
Guide to White-Collar Crime in Australia – 6 November 2023
This guide by Gilbert and Tobin’s Dispute and Investigation Team, provides on corporate and personal liability, damages and compensation, plea agreements, corporate fraud, bribery, influence peddling, insider dealing, tax fraud, competition law, cybercrimes, protection of company secrets, money laundering, self-disclosure, whistle-blower protection and assessment of penalties.
https://www.gtlaw.com.au/knowledge/guide-white-collar-crime-australia
As David McBride readies himself for trial, his fellow whistleblowers have a message for the government – 6 November 2023
A group of high-profile whistleblowers who helped spark royal commissions and change laws have written an open letter to the federal government. Accusing it of overseeing a broken system that has left whistleblowers exposed to costly legal fees – and worse. It said by failing to drop the charges against Mr McBride, the government had given people reason to be wary about speaking up. Mr McBride is facing five charges, including disclosing information in breach of the Crimes Act and unlawfully giving classified information under the Defence Act.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-06/david-mcbride-whistleblower-open-letter/103060116
‘Scam-in-a-box’: MyGov suspends thousands of accounts linked to dark web fraud kits – 6 November 2023
Thousands of MyGov accounts are being suspended each month out of concern they’ve been breached via “scam-in-a-box” kits being sold by criminals on the dark web. The products were being used to create fake websites and provide the specialist knowledge required to launch phishing attacks on Centrelink, Australian Tax Office and Medicare accounts.
Two men charged following card skimming scam in multiple states – 6 November 2023
Two men have been charged in Victoria over a $100,000 alleged card skimming racket linked to a Romanian organised crime syndicate. Police will allege the men are involved in at least 44 events of using cloned cards linked with the ‘deep skimming’ insert device, fraudulently withdrawing at least $102,000.
Bitcoin theft linked to counterfeit Ledger Live app on Microsoft Store – 6 November 2023
In a recent development, a fraudulent “Ledger Live Web3” app on Microsoft’s App store has led to the theft of approximately $600,000 in Bitcoin. The scam, tricked users into believing they were using the legitimate Ledger Live software for offline crypto storage. In spite of attempts by Cointelegraph to reach out for comments, Microsoft has not yet responded to these allegations.
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in a Retail Crime Setting with Professor Michael Townsley – 7 November 2023
This article outlines the emerging role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is likely to play in preventing and responding to retail crime and the potential impacts of this.
Former Little Athletics Tasmania president Rhonda O’Sign avoids jail time after stealing more than $10,000 – 8 November 2023
Former Little Athletics Tasmania president Rhonda O’Sign has avoided jail time after stealing more than $10,000 from the not-for-profit. The Supreme Court in Hobart heard the stealing happened during a “chaotic period” in O’Sign’s life, and she is remorseful and embarrassed. O’Sign received a suspended sentence and was ordered to perform 140 hours of community service.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-08/little-athletics-former-president-stealing-sentence/103074968
Mental health spiral behind ‘hare-brained’ $395m fraud – 8 November 2023
Demetrios “James” Charisiou, is facing prison for orchestrating a $395 million National Disability Insurance Scheme fraud. However he blames his “extraordinarily stupid conduct” on his mental health, which spiralled after a heart attack. He has admitted to obtaining financial advantage by deception and two document fraud charges, after he duped Korean investors into pouring bank credit into fake NDIS property deals.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/mental-health-spiral-behind-hare-054253524.html
‘Every cent of that is now gone’: Family scammed $32k after picking up phone – 9 November 2023
A Perth family has fallen prey to a sophisticated phone scam that fleeced them of $32,000. The ordeal unfolded through a series of fake bank calls and messages, culminating in a ruthless raid on their bank account within just a few hours.
0ASIC releases new alert list highlighting suspicious investment opportunities – 10 November 2023
ASIC has today strengthened its scam prevention tools to support consumers with the publication of a new investor alert list. Consumers can use this list to help inform themselves as to whether an entity they are considering investing in could be fraudulent, a scam or unlicensed. The companies, businesses and websites on this list may be targeting Australian consumers; do not hold a current Australian financial services (AFS) licence or Australian credit licence from ASIC; and are not allowed to offer investments in Australia. This list is provided as a warning to potential investors and is regularly updated. https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2023-releases/23-296mr-asic-releases-new-alert-list-highlighting-suspicious-investment-opportunities
https://moneysmart.gov.au/check-and-report-scams/investor-alert-list
