Spousebusters Private Detective Brett Sutcliffe Under Scrutiny
January 30, 2017 | Business Crime
He has made a career out of conducting undercover operations on unsuspecting spouses.But private detective Brett Sutcliffe, 37, has failed to cover his own tracks after a run in the law that should have blacklisted him from the industry.
Spousebusters founder Brett Sutcliffe walking in Wollongong.The founder of spy agency Spousebusters has been operating without a licence after a conviction in 2008 for impersonating an Australian Federal Police officer and menacing an elderly woman in North Bondi.A Fairfax Media investigation has fou…
Spy Games: All Blacks Hotel Bug 'Defies Logic' As A Wallabies Snoop
September 6, 2016 | Business Crime
Have the All Blacks become the victims of sporting espionage? Or could the team have pulled a double-blind by bugging themselves in the lead up to last month's opening Bledisloe Cup encounter in Sydney?
New South Wales Police have yet to rule out the possibility someone within the world champions' set-up placed the listening device in the team's meeting room in Double Bay's InterContinental Hotel.
Law enforcement have stated it would treat "every possibility seriously" irrespective of how far-fetched it may seem.
Private investigato…
Staff Member Stood Down As Police Investigate Missing $700k
August 24, 2016 | Business Crime
A Powerco staff member has been stood down and the police called in after $700,000 was found missing.
On Tuesday, police met with representatives of the Taranaki-based electricity and gas distributor to gather more information about the suspected theft.
Powerco chief financial officer Dennis Martin said the fraud was picked up after a number of anomalies in its procurement and financial processes were detected. An internal investigation was then carried out, he said.
"The investigation identified suspected fraudulent activity inv…
Shoppers Happier To Steal At Supermarket Self-Service Checkouts - Expert
July 21, 2016 | Business Crime
They might be quicker for customers, but self-service checkouts could be "normalising" theft in supermarkets, a British criminologist has warned.
Research suggests some people are willing to steal at such checkouts when they wouldn't dream of committing theft while wandering around the shop floor.
While the retail sector waits for technology to catch up, the most powerful protection from mounting losses might be something as simple as better customer service or a cleaner corporate image.
Many shoppers who'd never sneak a grocery ite…
Victoria University Staffer Scammed It Of Almost $500,000 Through Fake Contracts
May 19, 2016 | Business Crime
A senior Victoria University staffer has fleeced the institution of almost $500,000.
The woman, who cannot yet be named, created a fake company, complete with a fake email address, and awarded it university contracts.
She was convicted in Wellington District Court on Monday, but the university has also pursued her for reparations through the civil courts, which is understood to have included freezing her assets.
She made a total of 106 applications in the name of the fake company, of which about 90 were approved. A university spokes…
Accountant Suspended After Alleged 'Irregularities'
May 13, 2016 | Business Crime
An Auckland book keeper has been suspended from the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants after a complaint about alleged "irregularities in his handling of client monies".
The accountant, Christopher George Wright, is a director of Balancing Act Tax Services.
The institute's disciplinary tribunal, last month, considered a complaint against Wright alleging "irregularities in his handling of client monies, including tax refunds".
The hearing was held in private and Wright was not present or represented during it.
The tribun…
Exclusive: PI's Declassified Speak With Danny Toresen: Panama Papers - Investigating Corporate Leaks
May 13, 2016 | Business Crime
The release of the Panama Papers by an unidentified whistle-blower has many companies circling their virtual wagons.
This leak of 11.5 million confidential documents (2.6 terabytes) detailing off-shore tax havens including names of shareholders and directors have many scrambling for cover.
The message: No company is safe from cyber-attack hackers.
Join New Zealand security expert, Daniel “Danny” Toreson, to hear him discuss investigating corporate leaks and managing defamatory information.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
PI’s Declassified! le…
US Sheriff's Office Creates Internet Transaction Zones
April 25, 2016 | Business Crime
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office has created two Safe Transaction Zones designed to help protect citizens from various crimes associated with online transactions including robberies, thefts and assaults.
Future planning will expand this initiative to additional locations. Over time these areas will be enhanced with video cameras.
Citizens are encouraged to use the marked areas as a place to meet and conduct transactions that require in-person exchanges of online purchases.
Deputy Sheriffs will not participate in the exchanges or a…
Thief Who Targets Valuables On Aeroplanes Reveals Why It's So Easy To Do
April 12, 2016 | Business Crime
A woman allegedly operating as part of a large-scale robbery ring at a United States airport has revealed how she and her sticky-fingered accomplices have made a living stealing valuables from air travellers - and why it's so easy to do.
The woman, who is under police investigation and has not been named, told CNN her work as an aircraft cleaner allowed her to comb planes after passengers had disembarked and make a living off the loot she found.
Police believe the woman is operating as part of a widescale theft ring involving employe…
Nurse De-Registered Following Fraud
March 16, 2016 | Business Crime
An Auckland nurse whose extensive lies unravelled when she was caught embellishing her level of experience and concealing her criminal past has been censured and her registration cancelled.
The case, which involves a female nurse with interim name suppression, was heard before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in Wellington today.
She has 21 days to appeal after a formal decision is released.
The hearing heard the nurse - whose lawyer said she acknowledged what she did was wrong - had created a long list of fake referen…