This Month
The global scam network that targeted 40,000 Australian investors
Lucy King on the global scam networks targeting Australians, how the brother of Olympic breakdancer “Raygun” came to be linked to one of them and why they are so hard to shut down.
January
Bikies, drugs and heists: Why miners love the WA police ‘Gold Squad’
Mining companies pay $390,000 a year to fund the gold stealing detection unit. Criminals, attracted by record gold prices, are keeping its detectives busy.
Raygun’s brother linked to global scam network with nearly 40,000 Aussie victims
An AFR investigation unravels corporate registries to link Brendan Gunn, brother of “Raygun”, with a global network that has fleeced victims of millions.
WA lures cops out of retirement to help fight illicit tobacco
The head of a squad to fight black market tobacco says his phone is “ringing hot” with expressions of interest from retired officers from WA and interstate.
AFP’s ‘number one’ wanted man arrested in Iraq
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says the arrested man, Kazem Hamad, was a threat to national security.
December 2025
Why Australia is in the middle of a shoplifting crime wave
Greg Bearup and Carrie LaFrenz discuss the rise in retail theft, why Victoria is ground zero, and whether facial recognition technology is the answer.
November 2025
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 2025
AFP chief vows to protect vulnerable children from ‘crimefluencers’
Krissy Barrett says federal police will target “wicked offences” including human trafficking, hate crimes, youth radicalisation, sextortion and foreign interference.
Insider trading, the mob and LeBron: The NBA’s gambling scandal
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier have been charged over an illegal sports betting scheme and rigged poker games.
September 2025
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.
Australia’s tobacco crackdown has created a gangster’s paradise
The government has inadvertently helped enrich powerful gangs who are resorting to violence to retain their financial advantage.
August 2025
Victorian Labor treating business like a cash cow: Wesfarmers’ Scott
CEO says higher payroll taxes and organised crime are two reasons the state is a tough place to do business, and that facial recognition tech should be allowed.
The VW, the tobacco kingpin, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Sloppy criminals who reused a stolen car for arson attacks on a synagogue and nightclub led spies to uncover a state-sponsored campaign of terror.
Shoppers, retail staff shouldn’t have to put up with threats, violence
Australia cannot accept that a teenage shop assistant or a parent with kids in tow should have to navigate organised crime while working or buying groceries.
Security tightened at bottle shops as Allan vows crime crackdown
The Victorian premier said she had heard the message from the business community and retail workers.
Organised gangs targeting Rebel in ‘crime hot spot’ Victoria
Retail giant warns gangs are stealing everything from tennis racquets to golf balls.
Chinese triads and Mexican cartels exploit US cuts to wildlife aid
Criminals involved in trafficking endangered animals are ‘loving’ the closure of US-funded programs to combat wildlife trafficking and protect endangered species
June 2025
No ID? New anti-money laundering rules won’t stop agents making deals
Ahead of the reforms next year, the regulator has to walk a fine line between enforcing the rules and not hindering the real estate industry.
How North Korean deepfakes are duping hiring managers
A quiet plague of organised criminal and state hackers has been using artificial intelligence to pose as remote job applicants.
Anti-money laundering crackdown presents risks for real estate
The time it will take to retool a highly fragmented service industry to crack down on financial crime - and compliance costs - is an issue.
