The Fin The global scam network that targeted 40,000 Australian investors
Feb 11, 2026
Lucy King, an investigative financial journalist at the Australian Financial Review, outlines a sprawling global scam network that victimized tens of thousands. She traces links between international call centres and Australian victims. Short segments unpack how operators run many coordinated scams, a Belgrade raid that exposed client lists, and local links tied to banking and corporate registries.
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Call Centre Seizure Details
- Police seized hard drives showing sales agents with anglicised names and a list of 100,000 victims from seventy scams.
- The seized list included about 40,000 Australians, revealing the call centre's heavy focus on Australia.
Journalist Reaches Victims Directly
- Lucy King manually emailed around 500 of the 40,000 Australians from the seized list and secured 31 interviews.
- She selected targets who appeared twice-scammed or had identifiable agent names to maximise responses.
Typical Victim Experience
- Victims described being enticed by polished ads and fast gains, then abandoned when withdrawals were requested.
- Many reported banks and police were unhelpful once their accounts and agents disappeared.