Rear Window

Award-winning journo disappeared for spruiking on HotCopper

Ross Dunkley admitted to posting anonymously about ASX-listed Auric, while working as the head of investor relations.

Mark Di StefanoColumnist

Jun 18, 2025 – 5.00am

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It’s hard not to marvel at schemes when they’re so brazen. Former journalist Ross Dunkley hatched a fun one, using pseudonyms to post about ASX-listed gold miner Auric on the pump-and-dump website HotCopper.

Dunkley was Auric’s head of investor relations. He also used usernames “LENIN” and “GOLDATWIDGIE” to make sterling posts like “What a sexy little beast Auric is” and “I’m a newby here and I’ve just bought a sizeable package of Auric shares”. There were more than 300 posts like it.

Mark Di Stefano is Rear Window columnist, based in the Sydney newsroom. He previously worked at BuzzFeed, the Financial Times and The Information before joining the Financial Review as a media and tech correspondent.