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Investigation & Fraud News – Week ending 10 October 2025
Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report – 5 October 2025
Deloitte Australia will issue a partial refund to the federal government after admitting that artificial intelligence had been used in the creation of a $440,000 report littered with errors including three non-existent academic references and a made-up quote from a Federal Court judgement. A new version of the report for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) was quietly uploaded to the department’s website on Friday, ahead of a long weekend across much of Australia. It features more than a dozen deletions of non-existent references and footnotes, a rewritten reference list, and corrections to multiple typographic
Scam and fraud victims the most vulnerable as cybercriminals re-victimise Australians – 6 October 2025
AFP / AIC joint release warning that fraud/scam victims are highly likely to be re-victimised and urging improved online safeguards.
Regulator fines KPMG for N Brown Group audit errors – 7 October 2025
Big Four firm KPMG and a former partner have received heavy fines and formal reprimands from the accountancy regulator for serious failures in their audit of N Brown Group plc’s 2022 accounts. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) found that KPMG and Anthony Sykes failed to meet international auditing standards, with the firm admitting to serious breaches in testing whether the former London-listed group’s assets were properly valued. The FRC highlighted failures in impairment modelling, cash flow forecasts, discount rates and reconciliation to market value.
https://www.cityam.com/regulator-fines-kpmg-for-n-brown-group-audit-errors/
Proof-of-age ID leaked in Discord data breach – 7 October 2025
Video game chat platform ‘’Discord’’ has suffered a data breach, informing users that their personal information – including identity documents of those required to prove their age – were compromised. The company stated last week that an unauthorised party had compromised one of Discord’s third-party customer service providers, leading to the access of “a limited number of users” who had been in contact with the customer service or trust and safety teams.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/oct/07/discord-data-breach-proof-of-age-id-leaked
ACT Tribunal bans 2 lawyers from practising – 8 October 2025
Two lawyers who were involved in the swearing of an affidavit that contained false information have been publicly reprimanded and restricted from applying for a practising certificate for two years.
https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/sme-law/43102-act-tribunal-bans-two-lawyers-from-practising
Grays Online enters administration days after sale to Slattery Auctions – 8 October 2025
Online eCommerce platform, Grays Onine, has been placed into administration, following its $2 million sale to rival, Slattery Auctions. In July 2025 the Federal Court issued a $10 million fine to Grays Online, and ordered the organisation to compensate hundreds of buyers misled by deceptive advertising. The court found that between July 2020 and June 2022 the company has misrepresented the make, model, or features of at least 750 vehicles sold through the online platform, and omitted to disclose “obvious faults”.
Infant’s death in illegal Robinvale childcare centre among sector’s secret failures – 9 October 2025
The death of a 15-week-old baby in an unlicensed home day care in Victoria’s north-west in 2022 is among more than two dozen disturbing childcare incidents that the public has not previously been told about. Enforcement documents unearthed using Freedom of Information laws have also revealed incidents of children being tethered to chairs, going missing for more than 30 minutes, or being taken home by an educator without authorisation. Child safety experts say a lack of transparency in the industry means children are continuing to fall through the gaps.
Former treasurer sentenced for stealing $47k from towns RSL sub branch – 10 October 2025
Former RSL sub-branch treasurer sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing about $47,000 from a club; sentencing focused on rehabilitation
Access to digital version required to read article
Filipina working in Melbourne Airport charged with falsifying identification and fraud offences – 10 October 2025
A 26-year-old Filipino national is facing court today for allegedly creating and using fake identification documents while working at Melbourne Airport
Investigation & Fraud News – Week ending 3 October 2025
Immigration detention facility inmates accused of racket to defraud Medicare – 26 September 2025
Three detainees, including the brother of a Comanchero biker, were charged with COVID-era Medicare fraud. The story highlights how detainees used mobile phones inside facilities to scam government systems.
Access to digital version of Herald sun require to read article
Update after regulator freezes $11.5bn in funds at La Trobe Financial, leaving Aussies in dark – 28 September 2025
ASIC intervened in three financial products from La Trobe Financial, freezing about $11.5 billion in investor funds due to concerns that investment products were misrepresented, especially risk levels (private credit loans being marketed as safer than they are). Some parts have since been unfrozen; others remain suspended.
Westpac Sued Over Alleged Role in $250M Fraud – 28 September 2025
Westpac is facing a lawsuit filed by the liquidators of collapsed investment companies who claim the bank ignored red flags while large sums moved through accounts linked to a scheme run by businessman Chris Marco. The case, lodged in the Supreme Court of NSW, accuses Westpac of failing to prevent investor losses and continuing to process questionable transactions after inquiries were made by financial regulators.
https://theaussiecorporate.com/blogs/pickandscrollnews/westpac-sued-over-alleged-role-in-250m-fraud
Chinese woman convicted after ‘world’s biggest’ bitcoin seizure – 30 September 2025
A Chinese national has been convicted following an international fraud investigation which resulted in what’s believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world. The Metropolitan Police says it recovered 61,000 bitcoin worth more than £5bn ($6.7bn) in current prices. Between 2014 and 2017 Qian led a large-scale scam in China which involved cheating more than 128,000 victims and storing the stolen funds in bitcoin assets
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0415kk3rzo
ASIC to crack down on asset valuations after scathing super report – 30 September 2025
The corporate regulator has issued a scathing report card on the way the $4.3 trillion super industry and the country’s major auditing firms value unlisted assets, after it emerged that the nation’s second-largest super fund had written down a US investment worth almost half a billion dollars. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s first review of the sector’s financial reports and audits found super funds’ disclosure about non-listed assets was often inconsistent and unreliable, making it difficult for members to be confident about the value of their holdings.
Man’s savings wiped in $80m global investment scam – 30 September 2025
An IT director lost $120,000 through a scam involving cloned companies. Despite verifying through ASIC and Moneysmart, he was misled by a scheme where offshore entities and cloned advisers were used. He also lost another $60,000 in a linked scam. The fraud syndicate is allegedly global, with $80 million+ in losses worldwide, $25 million from Australians.
Police raid home of couple behind alleged $200m mining fraud – 1 October 2025
Tom and Kirsten Peever and associated entities are under investigation by the Australian Federal Police and ATO for allegedly claiming $200 million in R&D tax credits and GST refunds through Elution Metals and about 30 related companies. The case involves alleged misappropriation of funds which were supposedly spent on luxury items.
Access to digital version of The Australian required to read article
Alexander de St Amatus — Tax Fraud Scheme (Victoria / Queensland) – 2 October 2025
A 39-year-old man was sentenced for a tax fraud scheme. He falsely claimed $827,120 in business expenses on his 2016 tax return (as a sole trader) to obtain an improper refund of $18,771. Also avoided over $11,000 in tax debt. He pleaded guilty to obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
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Aussies Hit Again: ANZ Cops Record $240m Fine in Australia – 65,000 Impacted in Trust Breach – 1 October 2025
ANZ Bank will pay $240 million in fines after admitting to several big mistakes. The bank did many things wrong like sending wrong information about bond trading to the government. They also didn’t help customers who were having money problems and kept charging fees to accounts of people who had died.
https://supercarrides.com.au/anz-cops-record-240m-fine-in-australia-65000-impacted/
Victorian church under investigation after pastor’s son sexually assaulted teenager – 2 October 2025
Multiple investigations are examining a Victorian church’s response to child sexual offending committed by a senior pastor’s son. Joshua Emonson, 23, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage girl in February. Emonson’s father has been suspended from his role as a pastor, pending an investigation into how the church handled the matter. He denies any wrongdoing.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/encourage-church-romsey-under-investigation/105820656
ASIC bans former insurance broker Munther El-Alami for eight years – 2 October 2025
ASIC has banned Mr Munther El-Alami for a period of eight years from providing any financial services, controlling an entity that carries on a financial services business, and performing any function involved in the carrying on of a financial services business. ASIC found that Mr El-Alami did not comply with a financial services law by engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct by making misleading or false representations when submitting applications for life insurance policies on behalf of clients.
Investigation & Fraud News – Week ending 26 September 2025
Former ATO employee convicted for tampering with records and making false claims – 17 September 2025
Kasey Harries, a former Australian Taxation Office employee has been convicted and sentenced for misusing sensitive taxpayer information to make fraudulent claims. She had previously pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including obtaining financial advantage by deception and aiding and abetting another person to attempt to commit an offence.
Victoria’s anti-corruption commission searches Chinese language school over alleged misuse of public funding – 19 September 2025
Victoria’s anti-corruption commission has searched Xin Jin Shan Chinese Language and Culture School offices over alleged misuse of public funding, from the Victorian education department. The community language school is one of the biggest in Victoria. The investigation relates to suspected offences of obtaining property by deception, false accounting, and falsification of documents, which each carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Report scathing of police and CCC over failure to respond to complaints of police misconduct – 19 September 2025
The Parliamentary Inspector of the CCC has found WA Police’s Internal Affairs Unit is “reluctant to find misconduct by police officers.” The report details an allegation of an off-duty officer choking a man following a road rage incident and not being charged. WA Police said it would consider the report in full before commenting further.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-19/police-ccc-complaints-misconduct-report-/105791424
ATO moves to bankrupt Adgemis ahead of creditor’s vote – 20 September 2025
The Australian Taxation Office is ramping up its pursuit of Jon Adgemis, asking a court to allow it to take the place of Monaco-based rag trader Richard Gazal in his bankruptcy action against the beleaguered publican. The ATO applied to the Federal Court on Thursday. Gazal is one of a number of creditors who have been pursuing Adgemis for more than a year.
Digital version of AFR required to read full article
UN says there’s evidence organised crime scam centres are moving from South-East Asia into new frontier of the Pacific – 20 September 2025
Scam centres run by Asian organised crime outfits appear to have set up on Australia’s doorstep, exploiting areas with relaxed regulations to expand their lucrative illegal operations and money laundering fronts. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued an alert about the emergence of triad-linked scam centres in Timor-Leste after a raid at a hotel in its Special Administrative Region of Oecusse-Ambeno in late August. The scam operations industrialised in South-East Asia during the past five years have been estimated to cost victims about $60 billion each year.
Australia’s surveillance framework: National security and counter-terrorism watchdog signals reform – 22 September 2025
Significant changes are anticipated for Australia’s electronic surveillance regime following a comprehensive review by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM). The review assessed the powers of the Australian Federal Police and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to combat cybercrimes.
Victorian man jailed for complex fraud to help business owners knowingly avoid bankruptcy – 22 September 2025
A Melbourne lawyer has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of one year, for perverting the course of justice and running an offshore scam to help his clients avoid bankruptcy. The man, 68, used his law firm to create fictitious personal debts for two clients so they could gain a favourable outcome from bankruptcy and insolvency processes. The two clients were also involved in the scheme, while the man received a financial benefit for his business through the process. To ensure his clients avoided bankruptcy and repaid cents-on-the-dollar to creditors, the man then initiated insolvency proceedings based on false and backdated documentation.
Fraud charges – Operation Xray Sailing – 23 September 2025
Detectives from the Crime and Intelligence Command, Financial Crime Unit, have charged five people with 112 fraud related offences as part of Operation Xray Sailing.
The operation was the culmination of a six-month investigation by the Financial Crime Unit into the activities of the criminal syndicate, who allegedly assumed the identity of bank customers who maintained significant cash balances. The total amount stolen by the syndicate was $723,898, with a further $466,535 of attempted fraudulent withdrawals being detected and blocked by various bank branches.
https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2025/09/23/fraud-charges-operation-xray-sailing/
Optus and ANZ show the governance failures of the director class – 24 September 2025
Australia’s listed company corporate governance system is fundamentally broken. The $240 million penalty imposed on ANZ Bank – ASIC’s largest ever fine – represents more than regulatory punishment; it is an indictment of a governance model that elevates symbolism over substance and independence over competence. Similarly, at least three deaths this week and the failure of the Triple Zero emergency response due to a failed Optus upgrade have striking parallels with ANZ’s board failure. It is too soon to know the magnitude and nature of the penalty. This is the second time that Optus has failed in this way.
Premier probe into Smiggle alleges culture of serious misconduct – 25 September 2025
Premier Investments’ probe into its stationery giant, Smiggle, has allegedly uncovered a culture of serious misconduct, ranging from absenteeism, intoxication during work hours, bullying, sexual harassment and potential bribery, according to its billionaire founder Solomon Lew. Lew was discussing the findings of an investigation, more than a year after John Cheston was sacked as chief executive of Smiggle, following his 12 years with the company.
GIM Trading used virtual office space to create veneer of legitimacy as it allegedly defrauded millions – 26 September 2025
GIM Trading claimed its head office was on Level 10, 440 Collins Street, Melbourne. The virtual office setup appears to have been used to build trust with investors, to give the impression of a real, substantial financial services firm located in prestigious business districts. According to fraud experts, these tactics are common in scams. The false appearance of presence (address, receptionist, phone, etc.) can mislead people doing “due diligence.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-26/gim-trading-bond-fraud-allegations-investigation/105782912
Investigation & Fraud News – Week ending 19 September 2025
Australian men charged with allegedly trafficking firearms after international kidnapping investigation – 13 September 2025
Two Australian men have been charged with allegedly trafficking firearms to a paramilitary group in Indonesia. The armed rebels kidnapped New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens in 2023, which sparked a two-year international investigation. A Queensland man and a New South Wales man are due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on October 17 charged with multiple offences.
Dezi Freeman search at Porepunkah now Australia’s largest tactical police deployment – 14 September 2025
Hundreds of officers from Victoria, interstate, the Australian Federal Police and the army continue to search dense, rugged bushland in Victoria’s north-east for the fugitive, who has now been on the run for 20 days. This is a really highly technical search that requires absolutely specialist capabilities to undertake because of the dangers that are involved.
Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson found to have breached code of conduct – 15 September 2025
Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson has been found to have breached the council’s code of conduct. The city council accepted a finding that an email circulated by Cr Thompson was unfair and unreasonable. Cr Thompson has rejected all claims against him.
ANZ faces $240 million penalty for misconduct – 15 September 2025
The ANZ Bank has been slammed by the financial regulator for betraying the trust of Australians and ripping off the federal government. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission, ASIC, is asking a court to hit the bank with a $240 million penalty. ASIC says the bank’s widespread misconduct involved shonky bond trading for the government as well as failures to pay correct interest rates, refund fees charged to dead people and help struggling customers.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm/anz-faces-240-million-penalty-for-misconduct-/105776424
‘Whole attack surface has changed’: Fake financials are a thing – 16 September 2025
Everyone seems to have a scam story about how a person or AI agent pretending to be from Amazon or Australia Post tried to scam them or their parents, even Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who says he nearly fell for one. But what caught our ears at the Financial Review Cyber Summit is how this has crossed into the intersection of corporate Australia and markets, where information (or misinformation) is a tradeable commodity that can send shares up or down almost instantly.
How Did Whistleblower Evidence Topple Super Retail Group CEO? – 17 September 2025
New evidence from Federal Court proceedings has led to the sacking of Super Retail CEO Anthony Heraghty, ending a saga of alleged misconduct at the Brisbane-based retailer. The controversy began in November 2023 when an anonymous tip to the company’s whistleblower platform, Whispli, alleged a secret relationship between Heraghty and former head of human resources Jane Kelly. Internal complaints also highlighted misuse of company resources and travel, as well as alleged inappropriate conduct, though Super Retail has denied these claims.
GIM Trading director Darren Geddes blocked from leaving Australia in court order – 17 September 2025
The corporate watchdog has taken action against an Australian company accused of defrauding investors of their life-savings. This week, the ABC revealed Global Investment Marketing, known as GIM Trading, had raised millions of dollars from customers who believed they were buying corporate or government bonds. However, customers suspect the bonds were never purchased and their money is now missing, feared stolen. The former public face of the company, Stephen Cubis, told the ABC he believed GIM Trading had operated a fraudulent scheme.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-17/asic-court-order-gim-trading-bond-fraud-allegations/105782628
Prominent crime figures sentenced following illicit tobacco investigation – 17 September 2025
Two men, with links to serious organised crime entities and outlaw motorcycle gangs, have been sentenced for importing and distributing more than 10.6 million illicit cigarettes with an estimated duty evasion of over AUD $13 million. Both men pled guilty to all charges after being arrested in late 2023 following a joint operation in NSW.
The rotten advice at the core of super’s $1.2b fail – 17 September 2025
There is one great thing to come out of a superannuation scandal that could cost investors $1.2 billion. It has revealed the tricks that some financial advisers and their associated lead generators used to entice people to invest in First Guardian, Shield Master Trust and Australian Fiduciaries.
The statements of advice given to clients by financial advisers at Venture Egg and MWL Financial, both now under investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, had a number of red flags.
Kmart broke privacy laws by using facial recognition technology, commissioner finds – 18 September 2025
Retail giant Kmart broke privacy laws by using facial recognition technology (FRT) on its customers, the privacy commissioner has found. Over the two years until July 2022, Kmart captured the facial data of “tens or hundreds of thousands” of customers at store entrances and return counters, in an attempt to tackle refund fraud. But after a three-year investigation, privacy commissioner Carly Kind found Kmart’s use of FRT was disproportionate, and the company did not gain consent to use it on shoppers.
Chinese cars pose cyber security risk – 18 September 2025
Cyber security expert Alistair McGibbon has warned Australian public officials against using Chinese-made vehicles, claiming they could function as mobile surveillance devices with potential for remote control. He argues these cars pose national security risks as manufacturers maintain constant connectivity and could theoretically disable safety features or access onboard data. More than 140,000 Chinese-made vehicles have been sold in Australia this year, while the US has announced plans to ban certain Chinese and Russian car hardware and software from 2027.
NT sports star and school staffer committed to stand trial on student sex charges – 18 September 2025
A decorated athlete will have charges of having sex with a student at a school where he worked dealt with in the Northern Territory Supreme Court later this year.
The man aged in his 30s is accused of “grooming” the girl via text, with prosecutors describing his conduct as “brazen” and “calculating”. The man is yet to enter a plea and will remain on bail until his case returns to court in October.
