11 stories this week:
Pathology lab, ACL, criticised for five-month delay in reporting patient data hack – 28 October 2022
Australian Clinical Labs (ACL) has been criticised for waiting five months to inform patients their data had been stolen and leaked onto the dark web. This meant criminals could have accessed the stolen data to commit acts like identity theft, financial scams via impersonation for months.
How Facebook scammers hijacked the Herald brand – 31 October 2022
The Sydney Morning Herald’s website layout and branding have been replicated by criminals to spread fake articles on Facebook and dupe people into investing in fraudulent financial schemes.
Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud trial begins in New York – 1 November 2022
The criminal trial for the Trump Organisation has begun in New York with the prosecution and defence giving their opening statements. Donald Trump’s company was charged with tax fraud in July 2021, over allegations it helped executives cheat their own taxes.
Former Olympian Neil Brooks and wife ‘very confident’ fraud charges against them will be dropped – 2 November 2022
It is alleged that in 2008 Mr and Ms Brooks made dishonest representations about the success of their sports merchandise business, in order to induce two investors to purchase a 50 per cent stake in the company. They believe they will be cleared of these charges in court.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-02/neil-brooks-linda-wife-fraud-charges-court/101607786
Corruption claims fly in NAB fraud trial – 2 November 2022
A court has heard that 1.2 million dollars of corrupt payments and altered invoices between 2013 and 2017, were all part of an Helen Mary Rosamond’s plan to reward a NAB senior staffer and lock in extended business contracts with the bank.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/corruption-claims-fly-nab-fraud-025047935.html
Financial watchdog launches investigation into Sportsbet and Bet365 over money laundering suspicions – 3 November 2022
Austrac has launched an investigation into gambling companies Sportsbet and Bet365, on suspicions they have failed to comply with anti-money laundering laws. External auditors will be appointed to investigate the suspected non-compliance.
Queensland couple make horror $860,000 mistake – 3 November 2022
A family has lost $860,000 after being strung along for months by an elaborate syndicate of scammers. Coins Markets, or Coinsmarkets.io, taught them how to buy stocks and trade. The company had a sophisticated website complete with a complex login portal and multiple positive ratings across different review sites. Everything appeared to be legitimate until they were asked to place aggressive trades.
Millions forfeited after investigation into fraudulent scheme – 3 November 2022
New Zealand Police has successfully petitioned the High Court for the forfeiture of more than $2 million under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act, following an investigation into funds held in New Zealand by a Malaysian national. An investigation determined it to be related to a fraudulent scheme run in Malaysia – the VenusFX scheme.
https://www.miragenews.com/millions-forfeited-after-investigation-into-887768/
Dreyfus faces international pressure over whistleblowers – 4 November 2022
International transparency groups are pushing Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to drop two high-profile whistleblower prosecutions (former Tax Office employee Richard Boyle and former military lawyer David McBride), and have called for better protections for people speaking up against wrongdoing.
Company directors scrambling to get ID or face $13,000 fine in bid to stop ‘dummy directors’ – 4 November 2022
It will be mandatory for all company directors covered by the Corporations Act to have a unique ID number by end of November. The Directors Identification Numbers are being introduced in a bid to crack down on so-called “dummy directors” and company “phoenixing” by allowing authorities to track activities through various government databases.
Cybercrime reports jump as criminal gangs target families and businesses, cybersecurity agency says – 4 November 2022
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has launched its third annual threat report, revealing that it received over 76,000 cybercrime reports last financial year – a 13 per cent increase from the year before. Criminal gangs are weaponising sensitive stolen data at a greater scale.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-04/cyber-crime-reports-jump-acsc/101612978
