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A self-proclaimed fortune teller and feng shui master, and another woman, have been charged over allegations they defrauded vulnerable members of Sydney’s Vietnamese community of nearly $70 million.
The arrests came under Strike Force Myddleton which has been investigating a criminal syndicate targeting automotive financing companies in Sydney.
Investigations initially found the syndicate was allegedly using stolen identities to secure loans for luxury “ghost cars” that didn’t exist. But NSW Police say their alleged operation runs deeper, extending to large-scale personal, business and home loan fraud.
Police early on Wednesday morning executed a search warrant at a property in Dover Heights in Sydney’s east and arrested two women — aged 53 and 25 — who they allege are involved with the syndicate.
A woman, who purportedly posed as a feng shui expert and fortune teller, is accused of manipulating members of Sydney’s Vietnamese community. Allegedly, she convinced individuals to secure loans by promising them connections to a “billionaire,” while pocketing a portion of the money herself.
During the arrests at a Dover Heights residence, police confiscated several luxury items, including designer handbags and a gold bar valued at $10,000. This operation was reported by NSW Police.
Authorities claim that a younger accomplice helped orchestrate the scam, which defrauded individuals of nearly $70 million.
The younger woman was also charged with various offences, including two counts of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception. She was granted conditional bail to appear in Downing Centre Local Court in January next year.
Meanwhile, the NSW Crime Commission has frozen $15 million worth of assets, bringing the total amount of assets linked to the syndicate seized to $75 million.
Commander of the Financial Crimes Squad, detective superintendent Gordon Arbinja, said: “What began as an investigation into fraudulent car financing has expanded into uncovering one of the most sophisticated financial crime syndicates I have seen in my career at the helm of the Financial Crimes Squad.”
Seventeen people have already been charged under Strike Force Myddleton, with their matters still before the courts.
