Today
Spooked by kidnappings, bitcoin traders learn to fight back
With the wealthy crypto community shaken by a string of gruesome crimes, including abduction and torture, security firms are rushing to profit from the panic.
November
Optus fined after consumers’ bank accounts raided by scammers
The telco, which is still recovering from the fatal Triple Zero outage in September, will pay a penalty of $826,320 for security breaches that occurred last year.
Fighting AI-boosted scams has tripled this fintech’s revenue
Eftsure is in the business of “fighting bad guys”, its chief executive Jon Soldan says. It’s made $36 million from helping companies block fraudsters.
Eastern suburbs mother and daughter arrested on $70m fraud charges
Police have swooped on a Dover Heights property and charged two women with duping clients in a sophisticated crime syndicate.
October
‘I consider myself intelligent, but I fell for this, absolutely’
Lucy King and James Eyers on Australia’s crypto ATM boom, how they are being used for investment scams and why Australia is being targeted.
Crypto ATM operator fined as ban looms for ‘highest-risk’ channel
The operator that made $50,000 in fees from an 85-year-old scam victim was fined by AUSTRAC, but gaps in consumer protection remain.
This company’s AI bots talk to scammers so you don’t have to
It takes a lot to stand out in an increasingly crowded market, but Apate.ai’s co-founders think they have a globally significant company on their hands.
Consumers, banks urge outright ban on crypto ATMs
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will give AUSTRAC powers to restrict the machines, but consumer groups say this won’t stop the danger to older Australians.
‘Devastated’: How I lost $500k in a crypto ATM scam
Mary, 85, is one of thousands of victims of Australia’s boom in crypto ATM’s, which suck in $275 million a year, and are the “getaway cars” for scammers.
Labor to crack down on crypto ATMs amid scam surge
New powers will be handed to regulators to restrict the use of crypto ATMs, which have become a hub for scams and illegal money laundering.
Mass email scam sends Western Sydney University into panic
A fake email was sent to thousands of Western Sydney University graduates and scholars on Monday, purportedly signed by the university board of trustees.
September
I’ve written about loads of scams. This one almost got me
The caller ID said “Chase Bank,” and the man on the line said I might be a victim of fraud. His supervisor would explain.
The tactics criminals use on you in the age of AI and cryptocurrencies
Scammers adapt to whatever technologies or trends dominate the moment to exploit vulnerable, uninformed users.
Bullock calls banks’ bluff on card fees
The RBA governor says banks would be “shooting themselves in the foot” by cutting investment in fraud prevention because of the push to lower card fees
ASIC warns on cold-call loophole for super as its Shield targets widen
The corporate regulator has raised concerns with Treasury about loopholes in anti-hawking provisions which allow for potential investors to be cold called.
Bank industry boss Birmingham ramps up fight with RBA over card fees
The banking industry chief has escalated the sector’s stoush with the RBA, warning a proposal to cut card payment fees could expose Australians to more scams.
Hook, line and sinker: How I got caught in a phishing trap
I became one more consumer fooled by a scam – and am now dealing with the financial cost as well as the personal humiliation of being so easily manipulated.
August
Telco uses AI chatbots to keep scammers hanging on the line
An army of good-guy artificial intelligence bots is being used to trick scammers on phone calls as telecom groups try to stop Australians getting ripped off.
July
The truly worrying thing about the Coldplay concert scandal
One of the most notable aspects of the incident was the spread of fabricated online statements purporting to be from those involved.
‘Seduced by his personality’: The fall of a finance fraudster
Linden Toll was a former Sydney Grammar boy and one-time Macquarie futures trader who promised investors interest rates on loans of 10 to 12 per cent. But it was all a facade.