March
How to launder money and get away with it
Scamming operations mimic professional institutions, employing thousands of people in marketing, sales and human resources departments.
Why bikies are laughing louder at Setka than Packer did over Bond
The criminal enterprises in Australia that connect the underworld, the CFMEU and casinos echo the world of James Bond, but the good guys don’t always triumph.
CFMEU is still Building Bad nine months later
New reports of criminal activity underline how inadequate the measures taken have been to stamp out illegal CFMEU-linked behaviour.
Coles names Victoria as Australia’s supermarket theft capital
Other grocery retailers are also warning about a rise in shoplifting in the state, suggesting criminal organisations are becoming more brazen.
October 2024
Labor, Coalition clash over laws for lawyers, accountants, realtors
Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash roundly criticised plans to expand anti-money laundering laws to the three professions.
September 2024
Luxury cars among Plutus Payroll tax fraud spoils up for grabs
A Porsche Cayenne GTS, a Porsche 911 GT3 and two Wolf GB08 Tornado racing cars are among 30 vehicles confiscated from instigators of the fraud that will be auctioned off.
Real estate agents face costs to meet new money laundering rules
Australia is at the bottom of a global compliance ranking to halt dirty money flows. Fixing that will raise costs for real estate agents.
April 2024
The man who cracked Japan’s crime gangs is back for a sequel
Jake Adelstein’s Tokyo Vice exposed Japan’s yakuza. Now he’s out of police protection and releasing a new book.
NSW clubs ‘acutely aware’ of money laundering laws
Lobby group ClubsNSW said its members had recently met with the financial crime watchdog to ensure they were complying with anti-money laundering laws.
AUSTRAC targets clubs’ pokies in $70b money laundering crackdown
New CEO Brendan Thomas says “massive” clubs that rival Sydney’s Star casino and host three in four of the states pokies pose a “significant risk”.
March 2024
CBA backs UK start-up improving screening for financial crime
Global Screening Services now counts CBA as a shareholder. It’s building standards for banks to check cross-border payments against sanctions lists.
Dirty money reforms loom as Russians charged over $2m deposits
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is consulting on changes expected to add real estate agents, accountants and lawyers to anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing rules.
January 2024
Most cash is being hoarded, and lots used for crime, says RBA
As the RBA and lenders respond to crisis in cash distribution, new analysis shows up to 80pc of cash is being hoarded, while up to 11pc is in criminal hands.
December 2023
Billion-dollar AFP busts reveal what criminals do with their money
A police taskforce has seized more than $1.1 billion worth of assets from alleged criminals, including fancy houses, fast cars, designer gear and bags of cash.
October 2023
Inside the secret Accenture team trying to hack the banks
Jason Ford and his “red teams” have been breaking into banks by fooling workers with the latest psychological tricks targeting the human foibles that leave IT defences vulnerable.
Ex-ANZ employee among suspects in huge money-laundering ring
The Australian Financial Review can reveal a former ANZ employee is among seven ringleaders accused of running Australia’s biggest money-laundering operation.
‘Shiny shopfronts’ led police to bust $10b Chinese crime ring
Seven people have been arrested in connection to an alleged Chinese money laundering ring whose operators were said to lead lives of luxury.
Why NZ’s likely new PM channels Mark McGowan
The man widely tipped to become New Zealand’s next prime minister says he’s looked to Australia to develop many of his signature policies.
August 2023
Food spurs Woolies growth, but toasters off the menu
The supermarket group says food price inflation is easing, but sales at its discount chain softened dramatically in the fourth quarter.
Illegal tobacco, rising cigarette prices dent supermarket profits
Master Grocers Association chief David Inall says illicit tobacco is a significant concern for its 2700 members, mostly independent grocery and liquor stores.