13 stories this week:
Melbourne widow loses husband’s $760k life insurance payout to scammers – 29 April 2022
A widow lost her insurance payout to a scam. The scammers used Amazon Cloud Frontage which bypassed security measures, allowing them to appear on the first page of a Google web search for “Macquarie Bank term deposit”. The fraudsters were offering a 2.5 per cent rate under the guise of Macquarie Bank which was better than every other bank.
Is it legal for employers to monitor employees using surveillance devices? – 29 April 2022
Article outlines that there’s no general ‘Right to privacy in Australia’ and it is legal for your boss to monitor and track your work-related tasks and performance while at work; whether working from home or on site. However, there’s a complicated web of federal, state and territory laws. Employee monitoring is also subject to these laws and the various rules that regulate surveillance of employees can be very complicated.
Alpaca scammers target would-be buyers online – 29 April 2022
Scammers are now targeting people who are looking to buy alpacas. One victim lost $500 to a scam after putting a deposit down. Serious buyers needed to look out for a reputable breeder to avoid such problems.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-29/scammers-target-would-be-alpaca-owners-online/101026350
9 people nabbed for offering non-existent jobs in Australia – 29 April 2022
The federal commercial crime investigation department director said a crime syndicate used social media to advertise job offers in Australia, and a website to guide the victims to apply for a work visa abroad. Victims were charged A$420 for processing (visa applications) and the syndicate would send them a screenshot showing the application document, as well as a copy of the fake document, using the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs letterhead.
How does identity theft protection work? Stop would-be scammers fast – 2 May 2022
Online scamming has led to a significant increase in identity theft. So reputable companies have stepped forward to offer identity theft protection services. Article looks at the eight types of identity theft and pros and cons of these protection services.
Aspen Medical was given more than $1 billion in government PPE contracts despite no experience in large-scale procurement – 2 May 2022
Aspen Medical had no prior experience in large-scale procurement of medical products before it was picked for a $1 billion PPE contract by the government. A Four Corners investigation, in collaboration with Colombo’s Sunday Times, claims that Aspen Medical has been embroiled in an international criminal probe into corruption and money laundering.?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-02/aspen-medical-greg-hunt-four-corners/101022086
Former tennis champion Boris Becker jailed in UK bankruptcy case – 30 April 2022
A London court has sentenced German tennis great Boris Becker to jail for two years and six months for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets, after he was declared bankrupt. He was found guilty of transferring money to his ex-wife, Barbara, and estranged wife, Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg, after his 2017 bankruptcy.
Secret phone taps of ATO deputy commissioner’s son – discussing alleged multi-million-dollar tax fraud – 1 May 2022
Five people have pleaded not guilty over an alleged $105 million tax fraud. The alleged scheme involved the accused parties, ripping off the government, by keeping more than $100 million in GST and Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax, that was meant for the ATO. The jury was played a series of secretly recorded phone calls. The trial is expected to run for six months.
On World Press Freedom Day, will Australia’s major parties pledge to fix our whistleblowing law? – 4 May 2022
Despite the accountability and change their whistleblowing has helped achieve, Richard Boyle, David McBride and Bernard Collaery all face potential jail time for speaking up about serious wrongdoing. Article reflects on their plight – and the government’s responsibility.
Qantas loses appeal on ‘illegally’ outsourcing jobs, with compensation and penalties awaiting – 4 May 2022
Qantas has lost its appeal against a Federal Court decision that found the outsourcing of about 2,000 ground crew workers was illegal and in in breach of the Fair Work Act. Qantas argues the move to outsource staff was always in response to the pandemic and will appeal in the High Court.
Dr Roger Munro sentenced to four and half years jail for fraud following ASIC investigation – 4 May 2022
ASIC’s investigation found Dr Munro received $299,600 from three investors after he had invited them to invest in his trading scheme, TradeStation Futures Trading Fund (TradeStation). Rather than investing those funds in TradeStation, Dr Munro dishonestly applied the funds to pay for personal expenses, make cash withdrawals, make payments to other investors and transferring funds into a trading account held in the name of Dr Munro’s wife.
https://www.miragenews.com/dr-roger-munro-sentenced-to-four-and-half-years-775265/
Crackdown sees more than half a billion scam calls blocked – 4 May 2022
Initiatives by Telcos and the ACMA have led to a 95 per cent reduction in reports of mobile porting fraud and more than 549 million scam phone calls being blocked.
Senior police officer under investigation following allegations of aiding and abetting criminals – 5 May 2022
IBAC is holding public hearings into allegations Detective Sergeant Wayne Dean took cash payments from a debt collector for pressuring debtors to pay up. The Melbourne Police officer also struggled to explain how he came to have $18,000 in cash stashed in a safe at his home.
Federal judge quits after investigation – 5 May 2022
A federal judge will leave the bench next week after only a year’s service following an investigation into his conduct.
(Accesss to digital version of AFR required to read article.)
