Optus agrees to pay $100m fine for ‘unconscionable conduct' between 2019 and 2023
Telecommunications giant Optus has agreed to pay a whopping $100m fine for exploiting hundreds of vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians.
The penalty, agreed to with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, covers 'unconscionable conduct' committed by the company between 2019 and 2023.
Optus sold products to an estimated 400 vulnerable and disadvantaged customers who did not want or need, or could not use or afford, the products.
In some cases, customers were then pursued for debts resulting from the sales, the ACCC said on Wednesday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
33 minutes ago
- News.com.au
EOFY Sale 2025: Best Early Samsung Deals in Australia
If there's one discount bonanza worth keeping up with, it's the end of year financial (EOFY) sales. Retailers offer huge price drops to help clear our old stock and make way for the new, which is great news for shoppers wanting to snag a bargain. And Samsung is one major household name to have on your wishlist, especially with staple whitegoods like refrigerators and washing machines also on the menu. There's still just under two weeks to go until the big day – June 30 – but we're already seeing incredible deals from the global leader, including their latest AI-powered Galaxy S25 smartphone line-up. Even the Galaxy S24, which only launched last year, is on sale for just $749 (down from $1249). Or if a smartwatch is on your wishlist, you can slap 30 per cent off the Galaxy Watch7 (now $384.30, down from $549). Although for me, the hero deal is the Samsung 9kg Smart Front Load Washer with Steam Wash Cycle. Hunting for laundry appliances can be a nightmare, but this model has a decently large capacity for $749 (down from $999) plus nifty programs like Super Speed and Less Microfibre. Need a new screen? Get up to $2000 off Samsung TVs and up to $1000 off gaming monitors. QUICK LINKS BEST EARLY EOFY SAMSUNG PHONE DEALS See more Samsung EOFY sales. BEST EARLY EOFY SAMSUNG WEARABLE DEALS See more Samsung EOFY sales. BEST EARLY EOFY SAMSUNG COMPUTER AND TABLET DEALS See more Samsung EOFY sales. BEST EARLY EOFY SAMSUNG HOME APPLIANCE DEALS See more Samsung EOFY sales. BEST EARLY EOFY SAMSUNG TV DEALS See more Samsung EOFY sales. DOES SAMSUNG HAVE A TRADE-IN PROGRAM? Absolutely! You can trade-in an eligible device, even if it's old or damaged, and use the credit towards a new Galaxy product (aka smartphones as well as watches, tablets and anything also from the range). Samsung similarly has an Appliance Trade-Up program which allows you to get a discount on your new model and have the old item recycled. This includes removing broken appliances as well as uninstall and dismount, and there's no need to package everything up for pick-up. Both the delivery and collection will happen at the same time, which is also handy. WHEN IS THE END OF FINANCIAL YEAR SALE 2025? There's no official start date for the end of financial year sales, but most retailers typically trickle in discounts from early June and ramp it up as gets closer to June 30. Looking for more bargains? Sign up to our free weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest sale events throughout the year, plus great roundups across appliances, tech, fashion, beauty and more.

News.com.au
39 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Woman dies after north shore unit block blaze
A woman in her 60s has died after a unit block fire in Sydney's north. The woman was pulled from the blaze that began on the top level of a unit block on Allister St, Cremorne. 'NSW Ambulance paramedics treated her for critical injuries; however, she died at the scene,' police said. Police said emergency services were called to the scene about 7.10am before Fire and Rescue workers 'removed a woman from the unit'. 'Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command have established a crime scene and detectives have commenced an investigation into the incident,' police said. Sky News reported that six trucks and 22 firefighters attended the scene. It is also understood the unit didn't have working smoke detectors. The woman has yet to be formally identified by authorities.

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
West Australian man allegedly fakes cancer to scam more than $1m from family
A man allegedly faked cancer and pretended to be a victim of fraud himself to scam more than $1m from his family. Victorian police charged a 30-year old West Australian man over an elaborate plot that began when he allegedly failed to hand over money from the sale of a family home in Alfredton, about 120km northwest of Melbourne. Police allege the man used the profits of the family home without telling his partner, then attempted to hide the missing funds by claiming he made an investment and was set to receive a $2m profit. When he could not produce the $2m, it's alleged that he told his family he had been given a cancer diagnosis and was a victim of fraud. Police claim the man deceived his family into handing over an additional $1.2m, created fake email accounts and impersonated lawyers to back up his story. It's also alleged that he created a shonky document to obtain a new car worth about $70,000 from a Horsham dealership, 300km northwest of Melbourne. The West Australian man was first arrested in Ararat on July 8 last year. Horsham Family Violence Investigation Unit detectives conducted a lengthy investigation and charged the 30-year old with 28 offences, including 10 counts of obtaining property by deception, and 13 counts of creating false documents. He is due to face the Horsham Magistrates Court on June 24.