06 April 2013

Tax havens well known to Australian authorities

Tax havens have been in existence for many decades. 

This has been achieved  with full disclosure (and therefore knowledge) to many world governments, including Australia, as they have been set up within those country’s governments by the banking elite, and support of their ‘brethren’ in government.

 (illustration: Well known tax haven - Cayman Islands)

Current media articles indicate (allude) that secret documents on tax havens made public on a global scale that maybe even surpassing the now world famous Wikileaks documents, have been operating without government knowledge, which if so, is totally preposterous.

Governments hold constantly open communication channels with each other with regards to many matters. 

Financial transactions as well as the movements of population take a high priority.

In this day and age the general population has technology at their fingertips that allows a text message (for example via the GSM network) to be received on the other side of the planet across a few continents to be received within milliseconds of it being sent, which can be verified with another open channel of communications.

While the ruling elite or even certain individuals may be embarrassed as claimed by the corporate media, the reality is that they are untouchable, by law and especially not by the herd population.

If the masses intend on protesting (en masse), then they will be quickly dispersed, by either the corporate police or the military.  A similar gathering in support of a ‘rock star’ who cannot sing, or the herd population gathering to support youtube teenage pranksters will only get support from the authorities.

At the end of the day it is all about the monitoring and control of the masses, with the (supported) corporate elite allowed to do as they please, without any consequences, as they are above ANY laws.

Australian authorities are fully aware of the companies that are located in ‘tax havens’, and has allowed them to operate in such manner for decades.

Through the authority’s deliberate lack of action, the true victims of the crimes are the Australian taxpaying general population.

Mysterious mail to Australian journalist triggers global tax haven expose




It all began when Australian journalist Gerard Ryle received a mysterious package in the post.
The ICIJ's efforts were also assisted by an Australian software company that provided free software to help make sense of the information in the files. 
The former Fairfax Media investigative reporter was busy trying to unravel the details of a large financial fraud in Australia when a hard drive — with the details of 2.5 million digital files — appeared.

The drive was a treasure trove of WikiLeaks-style proportions that shed light on the often murky world of offshore tax havens — where millions of dollars are stashed in secret accounts — and would yield information on 120,000 offshore companies and nearly 130,000 individuals.

Fifteen-month long probe ... the investigation used a strategy similar to that used by WikiLeaks when it released hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables in 2010.
But Ryle, who later moved to head the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), did not know that yet.

"My instinct told me it was big but you do not know," Ryle told AFP. Technical impediments also frustrated his early attempts to pore over the information he had received.

"The files were almost impossible to read, they kept crashing my computer," Ryle said. "I've seen a lot of names from all around the world; they were people that meant nothing to me.

"I just did what any reporter would do — you just go on the Internet and you Google them."

Embarrassing the powerful

In his capacity as head of the Washington D.C.-based ICIJ, a non-governmental organisation founded in 1997 to help co-ordinate the work of reporters seeking to uncover corruption, Ryle set about mobilising a worldwide army of journalists to help mine the rich seam of information he had received.

Fifteen-month long probe ... the investigation used a strategy similar to that used by WikiLeaks when it released hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables in 2010. 

"It's always been on my mind to get some help from reporters all around the world," Ryle said. "The ICIJ was the perfect vehicle."

The ICIJ coordinated a 15-month long probe that involved 86 investigative journalists in 46 countries to compile a series of reports it began releasing around the world this week, using a strategy similar to that used by WikiLeaks when it released hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables in 2010.

Involved 86 investigative journalists in 46 countries ... the investigation was published newspapers like France's <i>Le Monde</i>.So far, the revelations have made waves in several countries, causing embarrassment to French President Francois Hollande's former campaign treasurer Jean-Jacques Augier, as well as the family of the president of Azerbaijan.

One of Mongolia's most senior politicians, former finance minister Bayartsogt Sangajav, told the ICIJ he was considering resigning after the study claimed he had set up an offshore entity and a secret Swiss bank account which at one point contained more than $US1 million ($A960,000).

"I shouldn't have opened that account. I should have included the company in my declarations," he said. "I should probably consider resigning from my position."

Millions in secret accounts

Another case cited by one of the newspapers involved, The Guardian, was the wife of Igor Shuvalov, a businessman close to President Vladimir Putin who has been first deputy prime minister since 2008, who is recorded as setting up several offshore companies. Olga Shuvalova made no comment.

Involved 86 investigative journalists in 46 countries ... the investigation was published newspapers like France's Le Monde


Canada's top class-action lawyer and husband of a senator, as well as 450 other Canadians, were also exposed in the unprecedented leak.
Tony Merchant, dubbed by local media Canada's class-action king because of the large settlements he has won for his clients, hid at least $C1.7 million ($1.6 million) in a Cook Islands trust set up in 1998.
The European Commission reacted to the reports by calling on EU states to do more to tackle tax fraud, estimating it costs their cash-strapped governments around one trillion euros a year.
"For the Commission, there can be no exceptions whether for individuals, companies or third countries who... abet tax evasion," Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly said.

Larger than WikiLeaks

Ryle cautioned, however, that many of the individuals brought to his attention by the hard drive may not have broken any laws.

"What you first realise is that you can't accuse people of doing something wrong because you don't have the full story, you don't know what they've declared in taxes," he noted.

"You kept asking yourself: where's the story here? Is it illegal? Your instinct tells you it's a story but you need to find it, you need to look for patterns, for trends."

Recruiting the services of foreign journalists to decipher the information was necessary because of the vast amounts of detail in the hard drive, estimated as being 160 times larger than the cache released by WikiLeaks, totalling some 260 gigabytes of data.

Australian support

The ICIJ's efforts were also assisted by an Australian software company that provided free software to help make sense of the information in the files.

"I approached the firm and said 'Don't ask me why I need it but can you give it to me?'" Ryle recalled.
He also acknowledged that the sheer scale of the global investigation went against the instincts of many of those journalists involved.

"I wanted to encourage collaboration among journalists, something that we, investigative journalists, normally don't like to do. We like to work on our own and keep our secrets," Ryle said.

Other revelations are set to be released on April 15, while the ICIJ promises further reports later this year.
"We're pretty confident we have a lot more because it's so vast and it takes a long time to understand," Ryle said, adding that he was not concerned about whether the revelations ultimately lead to criminal prosecutions.
"It's not our duty — our duty is to report and to let other worry about that," he said. "Our job is to inform the public about something they didn't know and what people or authorities do afterwards is up to them."

theage.com.au 5 Apr 2013

Is this rich kid the biggest douchebag on Instagram?

IS this kid the biggest douchebag on Instagram?
My sources - the global internet community - say yes.
 
Little personal details are known about @itslavishbitch or 17-year-old Param, but if appearances are to be believed, he’s rolling in it. 
 
And he’s not afraid to show it.
 
itslavishbitch
"For the broke n****s".
itslavishbitch
"For the peasants".
itslavishbitch
"Black & Gold credit cards. I'm the 1% B*tch".
itslavishbitch
"It's Lavish B*tch".
 
 
Param popped up online in January this year, purporting all types of rudeness and crudeness. Like this:
 
"Calling myself poor is just an insult to you. – B*tch I’m rich, rude, cocky and arrogant. – 17yrs. San Francisco Livin Hoe."
 
And this:
 
"My life is like Louis Vuitton, everyone wants it. You made your bed so sleep in it peasants."
 
If his riches – or that of his parents – are to be believed, we know a few things.
 
He lives in one huge mother of a crib.
 
itslavishbitch
"My mansion is better than yours hoe".
 
He confuses money for smartphones.
 
itslavishbitch
"I use my iPhones as playing cards, watcha use?"
 
'Cause, you know, it’s not like he doesn’t have enough to go around.
 
He "pisses BVLGARI" and only shi*s in sparkling water. Classy.
 
itslavishbitch
"Only take sh*ts in sparkling water hoe".
 
He likes to play gangsta style. Swagger.
 
itslavishbitch
"Soon truu to my religion hoe disrespect that then imma make this b*tch clap #semcity" What?
 
He takes the term "double denim" a little too literally.
 
itslavishbitch
"Broke n***a wear one pair a trues. N***a I wear two."
 
And on the odd occasion, he'll even it give it away.
 
itslavishbitch
"Flying away bandz," Param ties $4,000 to a bunch of balloons and lets it fly away.
itslavishbitch
"Lavish is giving away 60K all in cash. That's more than yo life's earnings. So begin begging peasants."
 
Can't help but wonder if he's over-compensating for something?
 
Param's Instagram account @itslavishbitch had more than 95,000 followers at the time of publication.
 
News.com.au contacted Param for an interview and at the time of publishing, received no response.

news.com.au 5 Apr 2013

This is seriously called news ? Seriously ? Obviously not !

Straight from the Who Gives a File...

But still a news service cannot do a disservice to the uneducated bogan population of the community.

Taping over prying eyes of web spies

IT experts are resorting to some simple techniques to secure their webcams.


Many Australian and international IT security experts are using Post-it notes, electrical tape, Band-Aids and even cigarette papers to secure their computer web cameras from hackers.

The phenomenon was discovered after security experts were asked a simple question that arose after publishing a story about unsuspecting victims who become "RATted" by hackers who use Remote Administration Tools, or "RATs", to spy on them.

In many cases hackers who use RATs can switch on a victim's web camera or microphone after infecting them.

The question asked was whether the experts concealed their webcam when it was not in use.
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Although many web cameras offer a telltale LED light which indicates whether it is active, Fairfax found many security experts didn't trust that it would operate correctly if a hacker compromised their machine. After all, hackers have found ways to disable some webcam lights.

A number of manufacturers, like Apple in their MacBooks and iMacs, ensure that the web camera is hard-wired in such a way that the green LED will always turn on regardless of any software changes. But some manufacturers don't make use of a light at all, or when they do they are very lax with how it is implemented, allowing for it to be easily turned off by software.

Matt Tett, managing director of Enex TestLab, which is hired by governments and businesses to test their IT systems, told Fairfax he used a Post-it note to secure his web camera.

“It's just a logical thing that paranoid people do, right?” Mr Tett said.

“I've seen a few people do it,” he added.

Information security analyst and Risky.biz podcaster Patrick Gray also admitted to covering up his laptop's camera. When he smoked, he used the glued part of a cigarette paper to protect it.

“If I need my camera I'd rip it off [and] then just stick a new one over the top when I'm done, although I'll probably have to think of something else now I've quit smoking,” Mr Gray said.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at anti-virus firm F-Secure, uses a Band-Aid. In an email response explaining why, he said: “I'm paid to [be] paranoid. So what do you expect?”

Mr Hypponen also noted that the man behind spying software FinFisher and FinSpy, which is sold to governments, was recently snapped with tape over his MacBook's web camera. Another prominent security expert, also publicly outed for using tape over his MacBook camera, was public-key cryptography expert Whitfield Diffie, at the AusCERT security conference in 2010.

"I trust the tape more than I trust any program. I figure if there's a piece of tape over it, it isn't taking pictures of things," he told ZDNet Australia at the security conference on the Gold Coast.

Australian security researcher Troy Hunt doesn't cover his web camera. Instead he prefers to turn it away from him when it's not in use. “I am partially paranoid about it,” he said.

“I would hope that the light would come on and save me, but at the end of the day that's [usually] a software decision and we all know what can happen with software,” Mr Hunt added.

Mr Hunt was referring to how it is sometimes better, at least when it comes to something like an LED indicator on a web camera, to make the LED hard-wired so that no matter what is done on the software side of things the LED cannot be turned off even when the camera is active.

Carlo Minassian, CEO of IT security firm Earthwave, said all web cameras and microphones at his company were “disconnected” after use each and every time, as per company policy. If web cameras or microphones were inbuilt, they were disconnected by uninstalling their drivers.

“When testing our customer's networks this is a common threat vector we are able to exploit regularly,” Mr Minassian said. “Furthermore, the building management system including the building security cameras are generally easy to tap into directly or via the admin's PC.”

Asked if others should do the same as the security experts and conceal their camera when it is not in use, Mr Minassian said: “Doing something is better than doing nothing knowing well the potential ramifications.”

David Campbell, director of operations at the federal government's national computer emergency response team, CERT Australia, declined to comment in his personal capacity as an IT security expert via the Attorney-General's Department.

Chris Gatford, of security firm HackLabs, was one of the few that declared they didn't cover their web camera, but said he understood why many people did. “I'm not quite that paranoid,” he said.

“It doesn't stop [hackers] from accessing other information. If they've got access to turn your webcam on they've certainly got access to do other things on your machine,” Mr Gatford said.

“So unfortunately putting sticky tape over [a web camera] is not a control to prevent access [to a computer] in the first place, which is something you'd be most concerned about [protecting].”

Mr Gatford's point is that when a hacker compromises a user using the method outlined in Tuesday's article, they often have full control over a PC, which is likely to have stored data on it that will be much more useful than a live web camera feed to a hacker, depending on their intent.

He said he practised “safe computing practices” – as opposed to covering his web camera – as one of his measures to prevent being compromised, which meant clicking only on trusted links.

For those wanting to implement the tape method, Mr Gatford advised that users should only cover the lens of the web camera and not any LED which could indicate a hacker's presence.

“If your web camera is on you kind of want to know whether or not [the hackers] are getting a picture. [Because if they're in your web camera], presumably they're getting sound,” he said.

The head of the Queensland police fraud squad, Brian Hay, said he didn't conceal his laptop web camera, but labelled the sticky tape security solution as “good safety advice”.

“It's about protecting your privacy,” Mr Hay said. “We all know that computers are not 100 per cent secure devices and this is just another vulnerability that needs to be taken care of. Remove the cover [on your web camera] when you need to use it, cover it when you don't need it.”

One business trying to take advantage of the paranoia offers $US4.99 "iPatches" for devices that have inbuilt cameras which conceals the lens neatly using a slider when it is not in use.

The security experts' comments come after a number of stories about webcam spying have surfaced. Fairfax reported last year that Melbourne-based Rentasaur leased laptops with software on them that tracked a user's location and had the capability to capture imagery.

Further, schools using government-supplied laptops in Queensland were in May last year found by the Courier Mail newspaper to have software on them that took time-stamped screenshots, monitored printing, visits to websites and keystrokes of students. A more severe case of spying occurred in the US in 2010 when a school, apparently accidentally, stored 30,000 laptop webcam images and 27,000 screenshot images while students were either at school or at home.

smh.com.au 3 Apr 2013

Hundreds of ‘Aussie’ companies operating in tax havens

Hundreds of so called Australian companies that employ thousands of Aussies on Australian shores, are registered in off shore tax havens, in order to evade, reduce or minimise their taxation dollars.


(illustration: Secret Handshake)

Those Aussies are paying tax on monies earned from overseas ‘companies’ which is another matter altogether, which will not be discussed in this article.

These companies hold famous brands that most people can identify, also in the scam are involved accountancy firms, administrative firms, banking institutions, clothing companies, department stores, legal firms, mining companies among others across various industries throughout Australia.

Over 20 years ago, the Australian giant department store Myer, was grilled on national television, how it justifies selling a $1 landed shirt for $10. The response given was that it (the shirt) is handled via a few (shelf) companies.

Various sources (one from Australia’s largest chartered accountants) have indicated, and bragged, how the Australian public is being duped by these companies who ‘operate’ in off shore tax havens, laughing about the occurrence, and the sheer ignorance of the general public.

The tax office has a list of overseas registered businesses which operate in Australia, turns a blind eye to the corporate fraud committed by these companies, as they generate an entire ‘eco system’, turning over billions annually.

The end result is that the worker / general population pays the taxes that support these companies business practices.

The exact same ‘fraud’ carried out by one person or company is labelled as such by the tax office but carried out by a ‘supported’ few or group is left alone by the tax office.

Tax office fraudulent claims against small developers

The Australian government is desperate for tax dollars as a result of (among other reasons) failed projects, well researched ‘white elephants’ prior to project commencing, falsely tendered infrastructure projects, grossly overpaid business deals for mates that have been funded by (hard working Aussie’s) tax dollars and other fraudulent deals carried out within government.

As a result the government has instructed the ATO (Australian Tax Office) to go on a shopping spree and take on ‘easy targets’, this time the small developers.

The tax office regularly initiates these ‘assaults’ on various industries as reported by the corporate media.

A (naturally unnamed) credible source within the industry has stated that the top dogs at the ATO have given instructions to their drone soldiers to target small builders / developers to “see how much they can get” out of these businesses.

The method employed

The tax office then starts to rummage through the records of small builders, falsely claiming that there is an incorrect tax return filed. The tax office then picks a figure out of the blue of how much is owed by the builder claiming this sum to be the amount owing from incorrectly submitted tax file returns.

The reaction

Some people choose to take the matter further and enlist the services of forensic accountants. The forensic accountants conclude that the tax returns, which were carried out by qualified and well versed accountants, are correct and comply with the tax laws for the specified period.

Since the orders from above were given to (fraudulently) collect monies from the ‘easy targets’, the tax office then dismisses any claims that it is in error.

As a side benefit the tax office creates jobs within the industry, as the ‘accused’ shells out large amounts of money to tax accountants, lawyers, courts etc.
__

Some of Australia’s larger develops are factually involved in ingenious tax ‘fraud’, but since they employ high powered ‘legal eagles’, they are not listed as ‘easy targets’ and are left alone. 

There are also other factors that contribute to the selected few being immune from being in the firing line of the tax office, of which ‘brotherhood’ influence or belonging to other organisations plays a major role.

Most Australians are not aware that the operations of the tax office are as a corporation, rather than a government authority, nor of the real nature of tax ‘contributions’. These documents are kept away from the masses or ‘herd population’ as the elite refer to the commoners.

03 April 2013

Police accused of helping people smugglers

People smugglers operating out of Indonesia say they are not threatened by the Australian government's border protection policies, amid allegations some are even enlisting the help of police to send boats to Australia.

As leaders from across the region, including Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, assemble in Bali for talks on people smuggling, fresh evidence has emerged that efforts to stem the flow of boats to Christmas Island are being undermined by corrupt police in Jakarta.

A source close to one major operation, who cannot be identified because of concerns for his safety, told AAP he was recently involved in a venture in which uniformed police helped escort about 70 asylum seekers from an apartment in Jakarta to a waiting boat.

"We all had to pay the police $US300. But we already paid the smuggler," he said.

The money given to police was on top of $5000 to $6000 the asylum seekers had already paid to secure passage from Indonesia to Christmas Island.

The people smuggler behind the operation has been identified as an Afghan man named Nasir Ahmad, alias Haji Majeed.

It is believed Ahmad had worked as an agent for the alleged people-smuggling kingpin Sayed Abbas, who is being held at police headquarters in Jakarta while he awaits extradition to Australia.

Abbas has denied being involved in people smuggling, but confirmed that he had heard the name Haji Majeed.

"Haji Majeed has a good name as smuggler," Abbas told AAP during a recent interview.

Ahmad is believed to have sent at least five asylum-seeker boats to Australia in the past six weeks.

Other people smugglers have been successful in persuading asylum seekers not to worry about being sent to Nauru or Manus Island.

In a recorded telephone conversation provided to AAP, a long-time people smuggler identified as an Iranian man known as Abu Ali dismisses an asylum seeker's concerns that boats may be turned back to Indonesia.

Asylum seeker: "People say that the route is not safe and people say that the boat will be returned when it reaches Australian territory? Is it correct?"

Abu Ali: "No, it is wrong. These days the boat arriving there, they go directly into the camp."

Asylum seeker: "There is another country near to that and (Australia) send them there which made us worried. And they don't let into Australia."

Abu Ali: "No, that is wrong. Everyone go directly into the camp, God knows."

The details of the sales pitches employed by people smugglers came to light as officials from across the region began arriving in Bali on Monday for talks on combating people smuggling.

The two-day meeting will be co-chaired by Senator Carr and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

ninemsn.com.au 1 Apr 2013

As part of the new order of the world, the so called 'asylum seekers' are part of the greater political agenda to seed countries like Australia with cheap, uneducated labour.

A move that is supported by governments and corporations alike.

Hoon's car impounded after driver clocked 63km/h over limit on Hume Highway in Craigieburn

A DRIVER has had his car impounded after being clocked 63km/h over the speed limit.

The 25-year-old was travelling at 143km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Hume Highway in Craigieburn just before noon.

Police intercepted the Nissan Pulsar and immediately impounded it for 30 days under the hoon legislation.

“The driver, a Craigieburn man, is expected to be charged on summons with exceed speed, speed dangerous and other traffic related offences,” Senior Constable Melissa Seach said.

heraldsun.com.au 1 Apr 2013

If you are part of herd population this is what applies to you.

Things are very different if you are a part of the ruling elite.

Corrupt police will work in your favour.

In one matter police falsified the the blood alcohol reading of a council member caught for drink driving, which as we know is a very serious offence.

In another instance a 'well to do' offender was caught driving at over 200km/h or 100km/h over the speed limit with no loss of vehicle.

The two above mentioned cases have been noted in the corporate media, but there is no police action against the corrupt officers or system involved.

Australia's corrupt government in full swing from the foot soldiers (police) to the high court judges.

How to get away with - Assault

Australia is long touted as a ‘lucky country’, especially by the corporate media, tourist organisations as well as other authority outlets.

This is especially true if you are a criminal in the corporate sector, which can filter all the way down to the common criminal, and you are supported by the brotherhood.

But really has this mystical force called ‘luck’ got really anything to do with it?

The Anglo Masonic ‘elite’ that came to Australia to put in place laws, did so to the exclusive benefit of their brethren, at the expense of the general community or rather the non Masonic folk.

Australia’s financial and legal systems, as well as others, are occupied and run by high ranking freemasons purely to the benefit of their own.

Australia’s courts are corporations (businesses) and are run as such. 

One of the objectives is to obtain finances (i.e. to give a fine / penalty notice) from the attendees which are processed by theses corporations.

When one is charged with an offence, the police (another corporate entity) must then present the offender before the courts within a specified time. This time frame is 12 months, after which the charges ‘expire’.
 
The police make it a priority to bring the offender before the courts so the offender can be ‘charged’ (financial penalty) within the 12 month period before the charges lapse.

Police may use various methods to bring the perpetrator to the courts within the specified time frame. 

A common method of entrapment that police use is one that if they are unable to locate the offender, they inform others that there is an ‘urgent’ matter, requiring the offender  to attend a police station (or Cop Shop, as known colloquially), which is something that one is NOT obliged to do.

The matter is urgent, no doubt (for the police), but not for the charged.

The general public are not aware of the many legal secrets the Anglo Masonic forefathers have brought to this country, as controlling the herd population is one high priority objective.