Crime data reveals Victoria’s white collar crime hotspots

Scammers and swindlers are targeting Melbourne’s inner-city suburbs, with new data revealing the worst suburbs for white collar crime in Victoria.

Melbourne’s inner-city suburbs are being targeted most frequently by white collar criminals, new data reveals.

Almost 2650 forgery and counterfeit offences and 23,835 obtain property by deception offences were recorded in the year to March 2025, according to data published by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency.

This was a 14 per cent reduction in white collar crime from the previous year.

Fraudsters flocked to Melbourne’s inner-city suburbs, with more than one in 10 recorded offences committed in the city area.

Melbourne, Docklands, Southbank, St Kilda, Prahran, South Yarra, Richmond and South Melbourne all ranked in the top 20 suburbs for white collar crime.

One of Melbourne’s craftiest crooks, Letisha Karam, earned more than $446,000 by offering to take demerit points for bad drivers before ultimately sending in innocent motorists’ licences to Fines Victoria.

Letisha Karam ran a demerit point scam scheme, which earnt her more than $446,000. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Karam spent five years charging dodgy drivers the cost of their fine, plus $100 per month of driving suspension and $50 per demerit point lost, the County Court heard during her sentencing in March.

She was convicted and jailed for two years and two months.

Scammers targeted Melbourne’s inner suburbs. Picture: Supplied.

The Mildura CBD and the Ballarat suburb of Redan were the sole regional postcodes to feature in the top 20, recording 297 and 219 offences respectively.

One Mildura fraudster Lara Scarrott pleaded guilty in January to pocketing more than $35,000 in dodgy GST refunds, using sham BAS statements to scam the tax office.

Lara Scarrott leaving court after receiving a one month sentence, suspended for 12 months, for fleecing the ATO out of more than $35,000. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

An investigation by Mildura CIU found the amount claimed was unrealistic and would have meant she made more than $350,000 in business-related expenses in a three-month period.

In January, Scarrott was sentenced to one month behind bars, but released on a recognisance release order for 12 months.

Originally published as Crime data reveals Victoria’s white collar crime hotspots