US EditionFake Fortune Teller Arrested in AU$70M Fraud Targeting Vietnamese Community
The duo allegedly exploited trust to defraud vulnerable Vietnamese community members of nearly A$70 million using stolen identities and money laundering, police said.
- On Wednesday, police arrested 53-year-old Anya Phan and 25-year-old daughter Thi Ta in Dover Heights, charging them with allegedly defrauding nearly $70 million from Sydney's Vietnamese community.
- Using fortune‑telling sessions, Phan allegedly persuaded vulnerable clients by promising a "billionaire" in their future and took a cut of loans while investigators say the syndicate used stolen identities to secure loans for non‑existent "ghost cars".
- During the early‑morning raid, police seized financial documents, mobile phones, luxury handbags, a 40‑gram gold bar worth $10,000 and $6,600 in casino chips, while the older woman faces 39 charges.
- At Downing Centre Local Court, the older woman was refused bail to appear on Thursday, while her daughter was bailed to appear on January 23, 2026, and Darren Bennett, NSW Crime Commission Executive Director, said restitution is a priority.
- Investigations launched in January 2024 show Strike Force Myddleton uncovered a syndicate implicating corrupt bank staff and expect further arrests of professional facilitators.
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36 Articles
Police Arrest ‘Fortune Teller’ In Australia’s $46M Fraud Case
A mother-daughter duo in Sydney—one calling herself a fortune teller and feng shui master—have been charged in an alleged $70 million scam. The scam targeted vulnerable Vietnamese-Australians.Police say the 53-year-old mother and her 25-year-old daughter were part of a “highly sophisticated” money-laundering syndicate.The mother allegedly convinced clients in financial distress to take out huge loans, claiming she foresaw a “billionaire benefact…
A mother and daughter duo - one claiming to be a fortune teller and the other a "feng shui master" - have been charged with allegedly defrauding almost 70 million Australian dollars ($46 million; about 39.4 million euros) from "vulnerable" Vietnamese targets in Australia. The mother, 53, was arrested in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Dover Heights on Wednesday, along with her daughter, 25, foreign media reported, reports Telegraph. And police sa…
Anya Phan convinced her victims to contract financial loans, ensuring that a billionaire would come to their aid if they contracted a loan.
Australian police say a 53-year-old woman, Anya Phan, who posed as a fortune teller and feng shui master, ran a nearly $70 million financial crime ring that made its money through fraud and money laundering. Phan and her 25-year-old daughter, Thi Ta, were arrested in Sydney on Wednesday after authorities seized luxury goods, cash and gold bars during a search of their home. Phan is suspected of luring vulnerable Vietnamese clients into taking ou…
Australian 'fortune teller' accused of scamming $46M from vulnerable Vietnamese clients
Authorities in Australia have arrested two women, including one claiming to be a fortune teller, who are accused of scamming more than $46 million from vulnerable members of the Oceania nation's Vietnamese community.
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