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Man to face court over $3m spiritual 'blessings' scam

Man to face court over $3m spiritual 'blessings' scam

Perth Now5 days ago
Another person accused of being involved in a "fly-in, fly-out" syndicate leveraging cultural superstitions to scoop up cash and jewellery has been charged.
The 62-year-old faces fraud and criminal group offences over his alleged role in the scam, which convinced the women to hand over money and valuables to be "blessed".
They were told not to open bags meant to contain their valuables, which the alleged fraudsters had switched out.
NSW Police say it's the work of a "fly-in, fly-out" criminal syndicate.
The scammers typically come to Australia from China for short stints to carry out the fraud, convincing older women that their money and belongings needed to be "blessed" to avoid bad luck, police claim.
The man was arrested on Friday at Brisbane Airport and extradited to Sydney on Tuesday.
This follows the arrest of a 63-year-old woman at Sydney Airport on Thursday night.
Detective Superintendent Guy Magee said the scammers typically targeted older Asian women, exploiting cultural superstitions.
"They will convince them to go and speak to a spiritual healer, to go to their home and retrieve their life savings, all their jewellery," he told reporters following the woman's arrest.
The alleged scammers convince victims that items in a bag have been blessed and tell them not to open it or they will face "bad fortune".
"Unfortunately, the victims are opening those bags to find their money and jewellery is simply not in there," Det Supt Magee added.
More than 50 individuals are believed to be connected to the scam across the east coast of Australia, with 11 arrest warrants issued.
Police have received reports of more than 80 incidents across Sydney since 2023.
They are trying to find a further seven people believed to be involved in the syndicate.
The scams are believed to have netted $3 million in cash and valuables.
Police have warned people to not hand over money or jewellery for blessing rituals.
Others have been urged to keep watch on older family members with limited English and warn them they could be targets of the scam.
The man will appear in Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
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Melbourne Uni professor sacked over ‘mawkish' romantic messages wins his job back
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Melbourne Uni professor sacked over ‘mawkish' romantic messages wins his job back

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Inside the Erin Patterson mushroom trial: How 15,000 were whittled down into 12 jurors and why case was held in Morwell
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The remarkably unremarkable life of Erin Patterson
The remarkably unremarkable life of Erin Patterson

Sydney Morning Herald

time3 days ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

The remarkably unremarkable life of Erin Patterson

Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three people and trying to kill a fourth by poisoning them with death cap mushrooms. See all 27 stories. The world was introduced to Erin Patterson in front of her cherry-red SUV, parked in the driveway off a quiet cul-de-sac in the little Victorian town of Leongatha. Sporting a light grey jumper, loose white pants and her signature sandals, the then 48-year-old pleaded her innocence to the journalists firing questions about a fatal lunch she had hosted a week earlier. That meal killed Patterson's in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and critically injured Heather's husband, Ian. Those first images, taken on a dreary Monday in August 2023, were the first insight into a life that has since been dissected by investigators, lawyers, the media and the public for nearly two years. The life of a woman who, until then, lived an unremarkable life. A woman who hates hospitals, adores her children and loves animals. A woman who is both introverted and highly intelligent. And a woman who was found guilty by a jury of meticulously planning the murder of family members she purported to love. The ensuing investigation would expose Patterson, first and foremost, as a self-confessed liar, capable of committing and concocting an elaborate story to cover up her crime. Patterson herself acknowledged, during her eight days in the witness box, to destroying evidence and lying to detectives, friends and family. She faked a cancer diagnosis to entice her guests to the fateful lunch, a jury found, and fabricated stories such as buying mushrooms from an Asian grocer and a plan to undergo gastric bypass surgery. Erin Trudi Scutter was born on September 30, 1974, the youngest daughter of Heather and Eitan Scutter. She grew up in the middle-class Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley in a family of high achievers. The matriarch of the family lectured at the nearby Monash University, teaching children's literature. Patterson and her sister, Ceinwen, attended the same university. Patterson obtained a degree in business accounting. Loading Like her mother, she enjoyed studying and is frequently described by those who know her as a sharp thinker. 'Erin is very intelligent,' Simon, her estranged husband, told a jury. 'I guess some of the things that attracted me to her in the first place was definitely her intelligence. She is quite witty and can be quite funny.' One of her fellow true crime aficionados described her as a 'super-sleuth', earning a reputation as one of the best and fastest at researching in their online community. Before she met Simon, Patterson trained and worked as an air traffic controller, a challenging occupation that demands quick thinking and the ability to stay calm under pressure.

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