ACCC gets intelligence from monitoring online forums

[Quickstatus]

I was reading a mainstream media article about ACCC stoush with activewear retailer Fabletics.
It seems the ACCC gets most of its intelligence from monitoring online forums rather than specific customer complaints. Though complaints are often the trigger

Wonder if they are lurking on AFF?

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fa...s/news-story/58515bf66a1c35946dc1770f1530628c

 

[Deleted member]

I remember many years ago talking to a Tax office inspector, his role was to seek out tax dodgers and scams. he was telling me the best place (back in the day) was to lurk around pubs and restaurants in the CBD where a lot of the great and good did business, and sit quietly eaves dropping as the intended target was boasting about his latest dodge.
he reckons the look of utter confusion on their face when called in for an audit was priceless

 

[Ausbt]

I remember many years ago talking to a Tax office inspector, his role was to seek out tax dodgers and scams. he was telling me the best place (back in the day) was to lurk around pubs

Any idea if he deducted his bar tab in his own return? Sounds like a scam to me. With June 30 approaching I've been eying my own travel expenses his year but certainly too scared to ask questions on this forum - lest those ATO devils be here too.

 

[RooFlyer]

Apologies to Quickstatus for lurching off-topic so quickly, but GPH reminds me of the time many years ago when after a good day at the annual Diggers and Dealers conference at Kalgoorlie (where there is a fair amount of promotion going on in the conference talks ), a guy near the front row in the audience stood up and announced that he had a question. Yes, what is it, the conference Chairman asked. The guy announced that he was from ASIC and the question was along the lines of "Has everything that was just presented, and for that matter what everyone had said today, compliant with the Listing Rules of the ASX?" :shock:

A look of horror on the Chairman's face and you could have heard a pin drop, before a general rush for the doors! Well, I made that last bit up, but it was if a waiter at the annual dinner had just announced that they had Ebola.

 

[coriander]

Way back in the early 80s during the era of the "bottom-of-the-harbour" and Currans schemes, a colleague of mine was secretary of a certain bayside boating club with lots of moored craft. One day he received a phone call from the ATO asking for an appointment to visit the afore-mentioned yacht club early in the following week. The secretary readily agreed and then phoned the President.

Anyway it transpired that a lot of members suddenly remembered that they had been meaning to undertake vital maintenance on their boats and there was quite a queue on the slips that weekend as many boats were hauled out of the water and driven away for much needed "maintenance".

It seems that no-one noticed a car parked near the slipway during that weekend.

On the Monday, the ATO representative rang to cancel the appointment. By sheer co-incidence a number of members reported that they had received home visits from the ATO conducting a spot audit.........

"...... now about that expensive looking boat parked in your driveway........"

 

[harvyk]

Since we seem to be talking about the ATO, whilst the pub thing sounds a little urban legend to me (since bragging at the pub does not equal evidence of wrong doing)
it's not uncommon for ATO officers to go to footy and cricket matches and get the number plates of cars and utes and then match them up to people whom claim their car / ute is 100% work travel only.
This is then usually followed by a please explain, and I'm sure that there is only so many tradies that the ATO would believe are there to change light bulbs and unclog toilets.

As for ACCC using forums, that doesn't surprise me, but I would say that it's more to get supporting evidence rather than be the primary source of evidence. The problem with forums is someone can make any claim they like, there is no law which states you need to be truthful on forums (just not slanderous).

 

[UP4014]

I don't even think they visit the footy anymore, simple check the owners of expensive cars against their tax returns to see if their return shows enough income to own it.

As for the boats on the harbour, dogey schemes bought down a few owners back in the 80's. I helped a mate who was a mercantile agent once, we turned up at what I think is the same yacht club with hack saw in hand, found the ocean going yacht in question, cut if free and sized it. The 'owner' must have been in shock as when we took it his dinner was still cooking on the stove so he hadn't gone far, it must have been supper as it was 11pm.

Oh the good old days.

 

[Milboo]

I am not surprised. I had heard something to this effect previously. That and also checking out brand Facebook pages.

But part of it is also comes from when personal lives and working lives combine i.e. an inspector might be on a forum out of personal interest and sees something there that might have some legs to it and raises it at work.

 

[BettyB]

“Spying is waiting.”

 

[Skyring]

As for the boats on the harbour, dogey schemes bought down a few owners back in the 80's. I helped a mate who was a mercantile agent once, we turned up at what I think is the same yacht club with hack saw in hand, found the ocean going yacht in question, cut if free and sized it.

How big was it?

 

[Skyring]

I don't even think they visit the footy anymore, simple check the owners of expensive cars against their tax returns to see if their return shows enough income to own it.

Well, it wouldn't be fancy cars at the footy. Unless there were some tricked-out V8 panelvans that were supposedly 100% business use.

 

[harvyk]

Well, it wouldn't be fancy cars at the footy. Unless there were some tricked-out V8 panelvans that were supposedly 100% business use.

It was more to catch out tradies whom would buy $100,000 utes, claim it was 100% work only, and then used it as a normal car.

I used to be part of a car forum, there where quite a few smug people on there whom would brag how they had brought a ute, claimed it on tax, and that the ute would only ever carry air.

 

[Quickstatus]

that the ute would only ever carry air.

Air is quite bulky

 

[JohnK]

I don't even think they visit the footy anymore, simple check the owners of expensive cars against their tax returns to see if their return shows enough income to own it.

You mean like 21 year olds in Sydney's South-West who own Porsche Carrerras and have been on the dole since leaving school at 16?

They're not interested in catching criminals. They're only interested in catching easy targets.

 

[theblank]

It seems the ACCC gets most of its intelligence from monitoring online forums rather than specific customer complaints.

Thats not what the article says.

The ACCC received some complaints direct from consumers. But most of its intelligence was coming from monitoring online forums.

This is a direct reference to the case at hand. It doesnt imply thats what they generally do.

I have no doubt that the ATO, AFP, ACCC and anyone else would use all possible resources to gather information when acting on an investigation. I hardly think that they proactivaly hang around forums, or pubs just to sniff out something new. There is just too many pubs, and forums to visit.

Certainly if a copper was at the pub after work and he heard 'something' he would act on it but thats not the same thing.

I know that when the ATO did a full audit on my parents in the 70's, they had a lot of personal information on us that they couldnt possibly have obtained from any records, like what sports we played. They most certainly were following all of us around.