‘Heartbreaking’: Google search which led to $500,000 scam – 24 May 2024
Jo O’Brien was left “heartbroken” when she learnt her half-a-million dollar divorce settlement had been stolen after she transferred her money into what she thought was a safe investment account. Taking matters into her own hands, Ms O’Brien managed to track down the Melbourne address linked to the company whose bank account her money went into and fearlessly drove to the property to confront those behind the scheme. Ms O’Brien wants to see the laws to change and ASIC do more to hold “business accountable”.
Ex-DanFX director jailed for fraud – 28 May 2024
Daniel Farook Ali, former director of DanFX Trade, has been sentenced to seven years and three months imprisonment for fraud by the Brisbane District Court. The sentencing follows an ASIC investigation that revealed Mr. Ali misappropriated $771,303 of investor funds for personal use.
https://www.brokernews.com.au/news/breaking-news/exdanfx-director-jailed-for-fraud-284795.aspx
Australians have lost millions to scams in the year so far. These are the worst offenders – 25 May 2024
Australians have lost at least $73 million to scams this year, and while the consumer watchdog says the financial impact caused by them is falling, we’ve been warned to remain vigilant. Data shows investment scams continued to cause most financial losses between January and March, accounting for $47.1 million of losses.
Queensland Women Convicted for Covid Scheme Fraud – 28 May 2024
Three Queensland women who illegally attempted to access superannuation payments under a Federal Government COVID-19 scheme have been sentenced to imprisonment. The AFP anti-fraud Taskforce Iris, charged the women in August 2020 after an investigation revealed the group submitted several fraudulent applications to attempt to access the early release of superannuation payments totalling $103,500.
https://www.miragenews.com/queensland-women-convicted-for-covid-scheme-1243941/
Watchdog refers army history of Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson to Crime and Corruption Commission – 28 May 2024
During his months-long campaign, Cr Thompson said he spent about five years with the Royal Australian Corps of Signals and the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment. This service history was however challenged by a newspaper in April and the matter has been examined by the Office of the Independent Assessor, which investigated the councillors conduct.
The key takeaways from the review into Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission – 29 May 2024
Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) will have the ability to publish its reports on public officials retrospectively, even if the person is found not guilty, but questions remain over what the changes will mean for high profile cases. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-29/queensland-crime-corruption-commission-review-recommendations/103905820
https://www.sheppnews.com.au/national/corruption-reports-might-be-brought-to-light-by-reforms/
Financial Crimes Squad charge three over fraudulent e-tag scheme worth $2.2m – Strike Force Aratula – 29 May 2024
Financial Crimes Squad detectives have charged three men and conducted a compliance operation at Sydney Airport as part of an investigation into a fraudulent e-tag scheme worth over $2.2 million. The network allegedly sold e-tags linked to falsified payment methods, such as fraudulent credit cards, obtained on the dark web. Police identified the scheme had been in operation for up to five years, with 800 tags in circulation – the majority having been sold to taxi drivers.
Home Affairs Department confirms cyber incident impacting Ticketmaster customers – 29 May 2024
The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed it is working with Ticketmaster to understand a cybersecurity incident. CyberDaily is reporting that notorious hacker group ShinyHunters has stolen personal information on customers. Up to 560 million Ticketmaster customers globally could be impacted by the data breach
Australians duped hundreds of thousands in travel agency scam – 29 May 2024
Nicole Vris used Travel World Sydney to book a 160,000 holiday to Greece for 35 members of her family. After receiving what appeared to be flight reservations for the group, Ms Vris soon realised the documentation was fake. NSW Police confirmed that a strike force investigation had been launched into the fraud.
