$335 million gone: How scams drained Australians in a single year – 27 January 2026
Australians lost nearly $335 million to scams in 2025, up from about $318.7 million the previous year, even though the number of reported scam complaints fell. Email was the most common contact method (over ~84,800 email scams). Other online routes (social media, apps, forums) made up about 43,000 reports. Nearly 38,000 scam reports came from phone calls. Investment scams caused by far the largest financial losses — about $172 million. Phishing scams (tricking people into giving up personal or financial details) led to about $31 million in losses. Romance scams (fake relationships leading to money transfers) accounted for about $28.6 million.
Matthew Thomas Brown: arrest warrant issued for fraud accused – 28 January 2026
Police have issued an arrest warrant for a 31 year old man, Matthew Thomas Brown, accused of 140 charges including fraud, attempted fraud, money laundering, and impersonation related to obtaining loans and financial benefits using false identities.
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Woman accused of paying secret kickbacks to surgeons to use medical devices at Brisbane hospital faces court – 28 January 2026
A 39 year old finance manager, Alana Jane Clayton, appeared in a Brisbane court charged with fraud and official corruption after a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation found alleged secret payments to surgeons in return for using certain medical devices at public hospitals.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-28/medical-devices-kickbacks-scheme-queensland-court/106277080
Bilal Bazzi arrested for allegedly using fake Australian cash in Sydney streets: Can you spot the counterfeit note? – 28 January 2026
Bilal Bazzi, a 44 year old man was arrested and charged in Sydney for allegedly using high quality counterfeit Australian banknotes at multiple stores — a form of fraud and possession of bogus currency.
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CFMEU organiser charged with fraud over driving fines – 28 January 2026
Paul Tzimas, a CFMEU organiser in Victoria, once seen as a rising union figure, has resigned after being charged with fraud by police. Police allege he committed fraud connected to driving and traffic fines — specifically involving speeding and other infringement notices that were allegedly falsified or misrepresented.
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Client documents caught up in law firm cyber attack – 28 January 2026
A Napier-based law firm, Langley Twigg Law, suffered a cyber attack on its IT systems on 11 January 2026. A malicious third party launched a virus on the firm’s network, which wasn’t protected by its security software. The attacker extracted some data from the firm’s file server. That included both internal operational information and some client documents. The firm is still working out exactly what was taken and which clients might be affected.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/585222/client-documents-caught-up-in-law-firm-cyber-attack
Accused ‘shadow director’ of failed legal, accounting firms to fight ASCIC over ban – 28 January 2026
Philip Whiteman is accused of acting as a “shadow director” for several law and accounting firms that all failed within a short period. He is seeking to fight an attempted ban by the corporate regulator ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) relating to his role. The article focuses on the legal contest between the accused and ASIC over whether the regulator is justified in banning him from managing corporations.
The missing money and litigation overshadowing an NDIS network – 29 January 2026
The article discusses controversy involving a Western Australian based NDIS linked disability services business, where there are questions about missing money and ongoing legal action. It highlights concerns and litigation tied to alleged financial irregularities, suggesting funds meant for disability support may not have been properly used or accounted for by those linked to the business ie Lenard Barend Swanepoel-Trollip and Christiaan Frederick Beyers Swanepoel-Trollip.
China executes online scam ringleaders from Myanmar – 30 January 2026
China has executed 11 people involved in criminal gangs in Myanmar, including online scam ringleaders. Their crimes included “intentional homicide, intentional injury, unlawful detention, fraud and casino establishment”, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Among them were members of the Ming crime family, which operated in the Kokang area of Myanmar until it was taken over by a rebel ethnic minority group in 2023.
Three NSW councils allegedly defrauded of almost $1.3 million by former employee Martin Thomas Dimec – 30 January 2026
A 59-year-old former council employee, Martin Thomas Dimec, has been charged over allegedly defrauding three New South Wales local councils — Murrumbidgee, Shoalhaven, and Goulburn Mulwaree — of almost $1.3 million by approving and authorising fraudulent contractor invoices while he was employed by them from 2012 to 2024. Police allege the fraudulent invoices resulted in $1,295,029.94 being deposited into bank accounts under Dimec’s control.
