Money man caught after syndicate flew ‘mules’ into Sydney to build $1m fraud web

  • 📰 theage
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 37 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 18%
  • Publisher: 77%

Australia Headlines News

Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines

Fake bank accounts created by the mules were used to siphon money conned from Australians out of the country – until detectives nabbed central player Muhammad Abdullah Cheema.

By the time a criminal syndicate’s money man finishes his 15-month stretch in Silverwater prison he will be deported back to his home country of Pakistan – the last known location of the million dollars he conned from elderly and vulnerable Australians.

The first was an Italian woman who flew into Sydney on a year-long working visa – but left after just 11 days. Deposits were in the tens of thousands, $30,000 from one woman, $96,000 from another, $59,800 from one man, $50,000 from another. Cheema had lived modestly when he arrived in Australia. At first, his own bank accounts only received living expenses and wages.

By late 2022, Cheema appeared to be pulling in far more and he used Kasbati’s identity to rent a house in Villawood. In January last year, he bought a Mercedes-Benz C200. “It’s not uncommon for the accused to receive over $10,000 in a day, with transactions broken up into smaller amounts in an attempt to evade reporting requirements to AUSTRAC.”

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 8. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Sydney stabbings: ‘Violence is coming from the edge’: Sydney’s horror weekThe local playing out of foreign conflicts and tensions is also behind a national mood of alarm following 50 hours of horror in Sydney.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »

Money laundering: Australian crackdown to stop dirty money buying real estateProposed anti-money laundering rules will rope in real estate agents and lawyers, amid concerns Australia could become a destination for dirty cash.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »

Ridiculous 9am pic proves Sydney is insaneJust when you thought Sydney had hit peak Sydney, it does the most Sydney thing possible and out-Sydneys itself in a fresh blaze of glory.
Source: newscomauHQ - 🏆 9. / 77 Read more »

Centrelink mutual obligations: budget changes tipped to prevent 1m jobseeker suspensions a yearAnnouncements are ‘good steps’ to reduce harms caused by employment services system but fall short of the overhaul required, advocates say
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Canberra massage business fined nearly $1m for threating and underpaying migrant workersA Federal Court judge has ordered the owner of a Canberra massage business and his company to pay a fine of nearly $1 million for the 'systematic exploitation' of seven Philippine workers.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Arsonists target Melbourne truck yard, cause $1m in damagesA car yard in Melbourne's south-east has been hit by arsonists on two separate occasion, leading detectives to appeal for public assistance.
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »