The following are articles relevant to the Professional Investigator. Click on the title to make a comment or join the conversation.
Gone into Bitcoin lately? Crypto scams are on the rise – 12 August 2019
Cryptocurrency and superannuation investment scams are on the rise, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warning it expects Australians to be swindled out of a record $532 million in all kinds of scams by the end of the year. The ACCC said $14.76 million had been lost in crypto scams alone from January to the end of July — with broader investment scam losses reaching $36.95 million.
https://stockhead.com.au/tech/gone-into-bitcoin-lately-crypto-scams-are-on-the-rise/
Tax office whistleblower launches crowdfunding campaign to help face off possible 161-year prison sentence – 12 August 2019
ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for his legal costs. Boyle blew the whistle on the ATO’s debt collection practices in April 2018, after making an internal Public Interest Disclosure in October 2017. There are calls for whistleblower laws to be reformed, to better protect public servants.
Former Ipswich mayor Andrew Antoniolli spared jail time over ‘calculated and cunning’ fraud – 9 August 2019
Andrew Antoniolli misappropriated and fraudulently used the council’s community donation fund to buy charity items over 12 years. He claimed it was accepted practice at the council to buy auction items with council donation funds. The magistrate sentenced Antoniolli to six months in prison, wholly suspended.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-09/andrew-antoniolli-former-ipswich-mayor-sentenced/11349634
More than 100 lose $2.7 million in Gold Coast cryptocurrency scam – 8 August 2019
Investors have been tricked into a Gold Coast cryptocurrency scam that cost them almost $3 million, and for some a comfortable retirement. Three men and two women from the Gold Coast have been charged with fraud and money laundering as part of a criminal syndicate.