11 stories this week:
World-first database set to help WA Police combat threat of 3D-printed guns – 26 August 2022
A world-first database which could help law enforcement agencies investigate criminals who are caught with 3D-printed firearms, has been developed in WA by a forensic expert who fears the technology will be used in crimes in the near future.
What will Australian regulation mean for cryptocurrency? – 26 August 2022
Australia is set to be the first country to do a virtual stocktake of the cryptocurrency sector, in a move that has global commentators buzzing. The initial focus for the government will be ‘token mapping’, which refers to grouping types of crypto assets based on their technological features and underlying code.
https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/business-law/what-will-australian-regulation-mean-cryptocurrency
Expert says if it’s ‘too good to be true,’ then it’s likely a scam – 26 August 2022
Businesses and consumers should become wary as losses to imposter bond investment scams almost tripled in the first half of 2022, with consumers losing more than $20mil. The imposter bond scams often impersonate legit financial companies or banks and claim that they advance government/treasury bonds or fixed-term deposits.
Bill Shorten issues NDIS fraud crackdown warning as woman jailed, another charged – 27 August 2022
A 47-year-old has been charged for allegedly defrauding the NDIS of more than $300,000 after lodging fraudulent claims for people from across the country, including in Far North Queensland and Victoria.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-27/ndis-fraud-crackdown/101376076
Julian Assange files latest appeal against extradition to US – 27 August 2022
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lodged an appeal in a UK court against his extradition to the US, where he faces 175 years in jail. Assange has been indicted on 17 espionage charges in the US and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of military and diplomatic documents leaked by whistleblower Chelsea Manning. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Australia’s ASIC lays out roadmap for safeguarding consumers from digital assets scams – 27 August 2022
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is looking to focus more on protecting consumers from digital assets and cyber crimes, as part of its “Corporate Plan” for 2022-2026.
Scammers shift their sights from card payments to crypto – 28 August 2022
Despite a surge in online card payments, card fraud has reduced because most scammers now ask for payment in cyptocurrencies. Anonymity makes it much more difficult to identify the perpetrators, or recover lost money.
Storage scams look to burn your wallet with fake space – 29 August 2022
It’s not just email or phone scams you need to worry about, but also scams dealing with fake hardware. It’s a scam selling cheap external solid state storage device advertising 30TB, but turning out to instead be two 512MB microSD drives with dodgy firmware.
https://www.pickr.com.au/news/2022/storage-scams-look-to-burn-your-wallet-with-fake-space/
Corporate cop launches investigation into collapse of AI start-up Metigy – 29 August 2022
ASIC has launched an investigation into the collapse of artificial intelligence marketing start-up Metigy, whose founder (David Farifull) went on an $18 million property buying spree in the months before it went into administration. Fairfull’s private company allegedly received a $7.7 million loan from Metigy in November 2021, for which he signed as both borrower and lender, according to the administrators’ report into the company.
Financial crimes regulator probes Perth Mint – 30 August 2022
The financial crimes regulator has launched an investigation into Perth Mint, Australia’s biggest gold and silver refiner, over what it has described as compliance concerns, and ordered the appointment of an external auditor under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/financial-crimes-regulator-probes-perth-mint-20220830-p5be17
Warrant out for Thai dance Youtuber ‘Nutty’ after hundreds report losing thousands to Forex scam – 31 August 2022
Natthamon aka ”Nutty”, who was a popular YouTuber in Thailand cheated thousands of followers out of nearly $80 million. 6,000 people gave Natthamon money to invest after being promised to see returns of up to 35 percent if they wired through cash.
