A law firm clerk has been arrested and charged after allegedly making fraudulent transactions to the tune of a cool $500,000.
The 48 year-old woman worked for an unnamed firm based in The Rocks, in Sydney's CBD. The NSW police say they were alerted to the fraud when it was reported to them a month ago and their investigations led them to the law clerk. It doesn't sound like a massively sophisticated fraud. According the police statement the woman is suspected of stealing cheques from the firm amounting to half a million dollars, altering the payee details and then paying them into her own account. Here's a clue, budding fraudsters: if you do that, people will see where the money went.
The woman was charged with six counts of "dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception". She was granted conditional bail and will appear before Downing Centre Local Court on August 30.
The integrity of the legal profession has taken a bit of a bashing of late. In the UK, it's been the partners who've been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. So far this year, a Hogan Lovells partner has been sacked for fiddling his expenses to the tune of over £1m, an Addleshaw Goddard partner resigned after alleged expenses discrepancies and an Ince & Co partner, crime novelist and lover to the stars, has been the subject a of £3m fraud probe.
Know any more about law firm staff with their fingers in the till? Let us know on the hush hush by clicking here.
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The 48 year-old woman worked for an unnamed firm based in The Rocks, in Sydney's CBD. The NSW police say they were alerted to the fraud when it was reported to them a month ago and their investigations led them to the law clerk. It doesn't sound like a massively sophisticated fraud. According the police statement the woman is suspected of stealing cheques from the firm amounting to half a million dollars, altering the payee details and then paying them into her own account. Here's a clue, budding fraudsters: if you do that, people will see where the money went.
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An accounts clerk yesterday |
The woman was charged with six counts of "dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception". She was granted conditional bail and will appear before Downing Centre Local Court on August 30.
The integrity of the legal profession has taken a bit of a bashing of late. In the UK, it's been the partners who've been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. So far this year, a Hogan Lovells partner has been sacked for fiddling his expenses to the tune of over £1m, an Addleshaw Goddard partner resigned after alleged expenses discrepancies and an Ince & Co partner, crime novelist and lover to the stars, has been the subject a of £3m fraud probe.
Know any more about law firm staff with their fingers in the till? Let us know on the hush hush by clicking here.