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S2019 E3 Project Dragon
本集简介

"I'm a hired gun to help either large corporates or governments to get back what is rightfully theirs." Asset recovery agent.

As China has transformed itself into an economic powerhouse, billions of dollars have been illegally spirited out of the country. A large amount has made its way here to Australia.

"I think it's been well understood for a number years that Australia has been a target location for hot money... We've seen that activity increase exponentially over the last number of years." Financial crimes investigator.

Chinese authorities want the money back, and they've sent a clear message to anyone who has broken their rules - we will find you and your money.

"It seems as if there's more than enough evidence that at least in jurisdictions like...Australia, the US and America, coercive tactics were used to force people back to China." Transnational crime expert.

Now China has opened up a new front in its war on those accused of financial crimes. On Monday Four Corners will reveal the new tactics being used by Chinese authorities to take back money they believe has been stashed illegally in Australia.

"The mission is a recovery of funds that have been filtered from China to Australia." Private investigator.

A new breed of financial bounty hunters is on the case, and their target is Australian real estate.

"There's what we're referring to as a cluster of properties... Most of them, or all of them waterfront, luxuriously appointed." Security consultant.

With exclusive access to these investigators, reporter Mark Willacy sees first hand the extraordinary lengths they are going to.

"We can sell it and return the money back to China. Everyone's happy...it's a legal plan. There's no drama." Private investigator.

With questions being asked about the legality of their actions and the reach of the Chinese state, it's a high risk operation.

"I think they have to tread carefully. One of the challenges they've got is that they need to walk a very, very narrow line." Financial crimes investigator.

For the recovery agents themselves, they believe they are onto a financial winner.

"There's a huge opportunity to develop and exploit this business channel, especially when it comes to Chinese money of dubious origin that has parked itself in Australia." Asset recovery agent.

上一集
2019/02/11 S2019 E2
Meet the scammers

The cyber criminals breaking hearts and stealing billions.

"The criminals involved in this are definitely masters of manipulation. This is their job and they're very good at it, and they're very proud of being good at it." Cyber scam expert.

Their voices are persuasive, their emails insistent and they have proven to be remarkably successful at conning countless people into handing over their money.

"When you have an appreciation for how big and sophisticated it is, this machine that's behind it that's targeting them, that's where it sorts of tends to awaken one." Police officer.

Internet scamming began in the early days of email with appeals from Nigerian 'princes' asking for help to regain their missing money. From those amateurish beginnings, the scammers watched, learned and refined their techniques. What started out as a simple scam from West Africa has now morphed into a global enterprise, conning people on an industrial scale.

"West African cybercrime is the biggest threat that we see on the internet today. It eclipses all the other threats that we've seen that are financially motivated." Cyber security investigator.

On Monday Four Corners investigates how these scams operate, uncovering an online marketplace where fake identities and criminal skills are bought and sold.

"They offer Facebook profiles for sale, they offer pictures of uniformed servicemen for sale, they offer the backstory and kind of how you get started." Retired US army colonel.

Reporter Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop travelled to Ghana to meet the scammers and watch them at work.

"The best targets are people who are divorced or widowed." Scammer.

At the heart of their business is the 'romance scam', where criminals, often posing as lovelorn US soldiers, convince their victims to send them money.

"Over the course of the last two years, I've reported over 3,000 accounts to Facebook of scammers using my pictures to steal money from women." Retired US army colonel.

For some, the romance scam is just the start of the nightmare, with victims used to launder money or conned into trafficking drugs, with devastating consequences.

"When they opened it and tested it and told me what it was, I was in complete shock, complete shock." Drug mule.

And there's growing evidence that the scammers are not only targeting Australian victims, they're also setting up operations right here.

Meet the scammers, reported by Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop.

下一集
2019/02/25 S2019 E4
Criminalising Women

"We're criminalising more women than ever before." Prisoner rights activist.

"I have been to prison five times... I have been to prison for break and enter, driving while disqualified, driving under the influence of ice and escape police custody." Bekki.

Bekki has just walked out of prison after serving a six-month jail sentence. The cameras are rolling as she takes her first steps.

"It's great to be out...I've got some underwear, some papers and $50 and that's it." Bekki.

She's part of a fast growing group of criminals sentenced to jail in Australia. Across the nation, there are now more women in prison than ever before. And once they're out they're very likely to re-offend and end up back inside.

"I've been to prison four times. I was in prison for drug dealing. The hardest thing about staying out of prison is dealing with the isolation, the judgements, the stigma." Fran.

On Monday Four Corners investigates why so many women are going to jail by meeting three women who know exactly what it's like.

"Women's prisons are filled with stories of people like me." Bekki.

Filmed over three months, Bekki, Fran and Donna give raw and compelling accounts of their lives as they begin again on the outside.

"I need a job and I need a job fast. I am willing to do anything, you know, clean toilets if I have to. I don't care." Fran.

Each one must overcome their own demons while convincing the world around them that they are worth another chance.

"I have been to prison more than 30 times...The hardest thing for me to stay out of prison is being judged for my criminal history." Donna.

The vast majority of women who land in prison have been physically or sexually abused. Many have turned to drugs, and then a life of crime. Their chances of rehabilitation are made harder as they often struggle to find work, housing and support on the outside.

"No one wants to employ you when there's 100 other applicants that don't have criminal records. So why would they want to employ you? Sometimes I feel like I'm just beating my head against a brick wall." Fran.

The camera captures the highs and lows as they search for accommodation and a job.

"It would be lovely to be able to help her, she's a person that is in housing need. It's really sad and you know you want to help everybody [but] you can't." Emergency Housing coordinator.

Despite their troubled histories, Bekki, Fran and Donna make progress. Their experiences give real insight into how to break the cycle.

"It's a whole new chapter in my life absolutely. Only good things come from here. I've got such a good feeling. I've got such a good feeling, there's hope, it's given me hope." Fran.

Criminalising Women, produced by Janine Cohen.