Latest news with #Tonkin
Sydney Morning Herald
18-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
No-ID-necessary accounts make Australians an easy target for fraudsters
Online Australian banks are allowing new customers to set up accounts without providing any identification documents, opening the door to scammers funnelling millions of dollars into the hands of criminals. Australia's biggest banks shut down more than 10,000 bank accounts known as 'mule accounts' in the last financial year because of their suspected links to fraud. In one case, fraudsters were able to open two bank accounts in the name of the same Sydney woman using her stolen Medicare card number, but without ever providing the card itself. 'We need to have stricter requirements on opening bank accounts … that's very obvious,' Consumer Action Law Centre chief executive Stephanie Tonkin said. 'We hear of cases where, for a single scam, there are multiple – up to eight or 10 mule accounts – being used. The scale of this mule [account] problem is extraordinary,' said Tonkin, who argues banks should be scouring their accounts far more closely for red flags pointing to fraud and mule activity. While cybercrime experts say Australia's major banks have recently improved detection or prevention of mule accounts, bank transfers were still the most common method of payment to scammers in 2024, representing 44.5 per cent, or $141.7 million, of losses reported to Scamwatch. Mule accounts can be complicated to detect as they often begin as legitimate accounts that are then taken over or bought by criminals, investigators and analysts say. Jon Brewer, from the federal government's financial crime intelligence unit, AUSTRAC, said he believed this scenario was more common than bank accounts being fraudulently established using stolen identities.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Olympia of Greece Revives This Iconic Carrie Bradshaw Naked Dress
Princess Olympia of Greece wore a vintage Donna Karan dress to actress Phoebe Tonkin's wedding. The strapless gown was worn by Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City. Tonkin married art gallerist Bernard Lagrange on Maria-Olympia of Greece borrowed a dress from Carrie Bradshaw's closet for her friend Phoebe Tonkin's wedding. For the May 10 ceremony, Olympia selected a vintage Donna Karan number dated to 1999. Sarah Jessica Parker wore the strapless blush-toned ruched dress, which also features a sheer slitted skirt, in a season 2 episode of Sex and the City. Princess Olympia styled her sparkly gown with diamond drop earrings and nude, rosette-embellished sandals. Wearing her blond tresses in a straightened bob, her makeup consisted of brown eyeshadow, berry blush and a mauve lip. In a carousel of photos posted to Instagram, the royal also referenced Carrie Bradshaw in her caption. "I couldn't help but wonder," she wrote, referencing one of the character's favorite phrases. Tonkin, best known for her role on the Australian teen series "H2O: Just Add Water," married art gallerist Bernard Lagrange on Saturday. Other famous attendees included Margot Robbie, Eiza González, Nina Dobrev, and Tonkin's former "H2O" costar Claire Holt. Princess Olympia is hardly the only star to channel Carrie Bradshaw as of late: Jenna Ortega wore another memorable Sex and the City look at the premiere of her new film Hurry Up Tomorrow. The actress selected SJP's Dior newsprint shift, designed by the label's former creative director John Galliano. Ortega paired the cowl-neck, asymmetrical dress with strappy metallic heels, a dainty gold chain bracelet, and a matching choker. SATC fans may remember the Y2K-era frock from season 3 of the show, or from the second film. HBO's hit sitcom was adapted for the big screen in 2008, followed by a sequel in 2010. Read the original article on InStyle
