Geelong residents caught rorting the system and ripping off vulnerable victims
As more Geelong residents are caught rorting the system or stealing huge sums from unaware victims, police have advised the community to stay “vigilant and wary”.
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Despite imprisonment terms looming large for Victorians convicted of fraud offences, Geelong residents who were caught up in financial scams, who rorted the system for extra cash or took advantage of the most vulnerable have mostly got off easy.
To avoid becoming a victim, Victoria Police have warned Geelong residents to be “vigilant and wary” of their personal information, and especially when someone unknown to them reaches out and asks for account details.
“Police take all reports of fraud and deception extremely seriously and will thoroughly investigate to identify and hold to account any offenders,” a spokesperson said.
Police have also advised the public keep their documents in a safe place, limit the number of documents they carry around with them and to make sure nothing is stored in their vehicles.
The spokesperson added that where possible, the community should refrain from storing their personal information online, including their date of birth, name, address and contact details.
“If you think you have been the victim of identity fraud, report it directly to your local police station,” the spokesperson said.
In just five years, the number of people convicted and sentenced on financial fraud offences – and specifically to obtaining financial advantage by deception – jumped 40 per cent from 25 people in the 2015-16 period to 35 in 2019-20.
Matters heard in the higher courts can attract a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 1,200 penalty units.
According to the Sentencing Council, just under 69 per cent of people convicted in 2019-20 were handed imprisonment terms.
Another 11 were given community corrections orders.
For the Geelong residents who fronted the Magistrates’ Court this year on similar charges, most were handed the latter punishment.
When sentencing a man to a community corrections order, Magistrate Simon Guthrie said it was a huge breach of trust and warned him there were “some courts that might have jailed you”.
He added the man had “built up a reputation and trust” with his victim and then manipulated that to steal thousands.
Magistrate Peter Mellas handed down a lengthy order to a woman who carried out an elaborate credit card scheme earlier this year but said the offending was a severe concern.
“The theft of someone’s identity in this day and age is a serious matter. [It] can be used to transact in so many ways,” he said.
Another woman was given a three month suspended prison term, meaning she did not have to serve any of the time behind bars.
Magistrate Franz Holzer said a submission by her lawyer to put her on a community corrections order because of her mental health concerns was a “generous interpretation” but ultimately downgraded the maximum penalty in light of her condition.
“There are a number of trigger points, a number of red flags that concern me,” Mr Holzer said.
Here are the Geelong residents convicted and sentenced on dishonesty-related offences this year.
Rachelle Carter
A Geelong woman avoided a jail term in July this year for obtaining more than $40,000 from Centrelink by lying about her income.
Rachelle Carter appeared at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to falsely declaring her income to dishonestly obtain financial advantage in the amount of $40,311.28.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions submitted that between May 2017 and January 2021, the mother-of-nine made 95 false declarations to secure the disability support pension.
On those 95 occasions, the prosecutor told the court that Carter lodged her income as $13,914.85 when it was actually $108.450.27.
Magistrate Franz Holzer said the disability support pension scheme was designed for people like Carter to help in these situations.
“For Carter not to recognise this, to abuse it as she has, is the concern that I have,” Mr Holzer said.
Tracey Anne Warner
Over a period of eight years, a Geelong woman falsely declared her income and repeatedly falsified information to the Commonwealth so that she could receive more than $56,000 in benefit payments.
Tracey Anne Warner, a South Geelong mother, appeared at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court in June this year and pleaded guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Between December 2011 and July 2019, Warner under reported her employment income so that she would earn an additional $56,716.95 from the Commonwealth’s parenting payment single benefits, in addition to payments from the Newstart and Jobseeker benefits.
Warner’s defence lawyer Ricardo Balancy told the court she is a sole parent of a 14-year-old son and has “worked hard to keep a roof over his head, to keep him in school and keep him on track”.
“Warner recounts this offending with vivid memory and emotion. She has been depressed and anxious about these matters,” he said.
Damian Shanahan
A former coach of the Geelong Cricket Club scammed Geelong Grammar and then crafted an elaborate story to cover his tracks.
Damian Shanahan, 47, who resides in Highton, entered a plea of guilty at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court in May this year on charges of defrauding Geelong Grammar out of $5940 and then crafting fraudulent evidence to conceal the crime.
In early 2018, he asked a teacher in charge for permission to purchase video camera equipment.
In October 2018, after the school electronically transferred the money to him, Shanahan said the equipment would be delayed for months.
When a year passed, Geelong Grammar launched an investigation.
Magistrate Simon Guthrie said Shanahan had “built up reputation and trust” at Geelong Grammar and then broke that.
Lisa Trison
A Torquay woman who stole more than $380,000 from three local employers to fund a lavish lifestyle faced court in March this year.
Lisa Trison – also known as Lisa Tyssen – blamed drug and gambling addictions for swindling huge sums of money to fund handbags, restaurants, hotels and a Queensland holiday.
Judge Patricia Riddell said the crimes displayed a “gross breach of trust” of Trison’s employers.
Her final and largest victim, the Geelong Arts Centre, lost more than $200,000 after she was hired as a bookkeeper while on bail.
“It is bewildering that you would deliberately seek out work in a financial capacity knowing you have just been charged for defrauding a different employer,” Judge Riddell said.
“These are victims at the end of these offences, people who have worked hard to build their businesses and to build trust with their clients and suppliers.”
Cassandra Filipovski
A Bannockburn woman responsible for an elaborate $88,000 credit card ruse that netted her luxury handbags and designer clothes faced a court at the beginning of the year.
Cassandra Filipovski pleaded guilty to a string of deception charges.
Court documents revealed she used fraudulent details to swindle lines of credit from banks between November 2018 and June 2019.
Filipovski obtained other people’s driver’s licenses without their knowledge and used the information to set up fraudulent accounts.
In one instance, she used a false name to open fake Westpac accounts and was issued a credit card with a $21,000 limit.
Later searches of her property uncovered $11,000 cash, debit cards in different names, multiple Louis Vuitton handbags, Gucci sunglasses and Mimco purses.
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