Latest news with #Jomaa
7NEWS
5 days ago
- 7NEWS
Man accused of using AI images of women for sextortion
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
Man accused of using AI images of women for sextortion
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail. A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail. A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail. A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
West Australian
6 days ago
- General
- West Australian
Man accused of using AI images of women for sextortion
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- General
- Perth Now
Man accused of using AI images of women for sextortion
A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time. Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online. The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands. Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025. Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest. He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi. Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat. He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversial mortgage practice costs homebuyer $30,000 after tiny pay increase: 'Unfair'
An Australian homebuyer has seen nearly $30,000 knocked off his borrowing power after getting a small pay rise. While an increase in your salary usually means you can afford a bigger loan, it can actually hurt you in certain circumstances. It's all due to the Household Expenditure Measure (HEM), which banks of all shapes and sizes use to estimate how much you spend. Berti Financial mortgage broker Mohammed Jomaa told Yahoo Finance that HEM can create nightmares for certain people. He had a client recently apply for a home loan, who had a salary of $127,500 per year. Homebuyers warned against common mortgage mistake after $150 issue: 'Dumbfounded' Centrelink issues urgent Age Pension eligibility change warning: 'Double check' Retirement warning as controversial $3 million superannuation tax change looms: 'Be proactive' With that income, he could borrow up to $980,362 as his HEM was estimated to be $2,852 per month. However, a small pay rise of just $2,500 to $130,000 per year cost him dearly. That pushed him into a higher expenditure bracket, which Jomaa said is different for every lender and isn't publicly available client's new HEM was $3,183, and it meant he could only borrow $951,625, which was $28,737 less than before his pay rise. Jomaa said bigger pay rises of more than $10,000 to $15,000 usually don't cause these types of issues because even if you end up in a higher HEM range, you'll still have more money to play with for a bigger loan. It's more of a concern for those getting those small pay increases in line with inflation. Housing Expenditure Measure takes into account your non-discretionary spending, which are things you can't live without. This includes things your rent, your bills and utilities, groceries, fuel, healthcare, whether you have kids, and how old they are like. It's based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) Household Expenditure Survey, which is updated every six years and provides a snapshot of the typical spending behaviour of Australians. The measure is also adjusted every quarter to keep pace with inflation. It can also include certain discretionary spending, but that is up to each lender. When you apply for a mortgage, you will have to give a rough estimate of your living expenses. Jomaa said the lender will take whichever is highest, its HEM or your estimate. If your estimate is lower, it will still take the HEM. Jomaa told Yahoo Finance that HEM can be unfair because it loads homebuyers into certain brackets even if they're living well below their means. He said someone could be spending next to nothing for months to show they could afford a mortgage, but banks would still use their HEM formula to show their expenses could be higher. "It's not fair to paint everyone in the same brush," the mortgage broker said. "Especially those who are very strict with with their budgeting and very conscious of what they spend their money on. "You shouldn't just assume they're going to spend this this amount, especially when we can prove it. "If we can prove over three or six months that these are their actual living expenses, why are you using this inflated figure when clearly they're spending this amount?" But the flip side can also be true. HEM was particularly criticised for causing serious mortgage stress for borrowers. Mortgage applicants could under-report their expenses, leaving lenders to use the HEM formula because it was higher. But those applicants would then get approved for loans that they couldn't afford because they weren't honest about how much they were spending every month. HEM was thrown into the spotlight during the Royal Commission into the banking sector. Commissioner Kenneth Hayne said the measure wasn't a sufficient alternative to verifying a borrower's actual living expenses. ANZ was particularly called out for automatically approving more than seven in 10 mortgage applications using HEM. Then CEO Shayne Elliott promised to reduce that number to one in three by the end of the 2018-19 financial year. Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn also said at the time that lenders would only be using HEM for around 50 per cent of applications. Wayne Byres, then-chairman of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, urged banks to "devote more effort to the collection of realistic living expense estimates from borrowers", rather than purely relying on while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
