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The Part 8A

The Part 8A

Von: Miko Santos of Mencari News
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The Part 8A is Mencari's news explainer podcast. Miko Santos, the host, will discuss the most significant stories of the day.

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  • Inside Australia's Scam Crisis: One Survivor's Fight Against Banks, Loopholes and Blame

    Inside Australia's Scam Crisis: One Survivor's Fight Against Banks, Loopholes and Blame
    Sep 17 2026
    Sylvia Chou is a registered tax agent, a Fellow of CPA Australia and a qualified financial planner. In 2019, she clicked on a Facebook ad claiming to be a Shark Tank-endorsed trading platform. A curious $250 payment turned into a $2.6 million loss within three months, after scammers used fake identity checks to build her trust and escalate slowly.In this episode of The Part 8A podcast, Sylvia explains how the scam worked, why her bank let a $1.1 million transfer through without question, and why she believes Australia’s financial system has a structural gap that leaves victims exposed. She also talks candidly about the public backlash, the darkest period that followed, and how meeting other scam victims in Canberra in 2024 led her to co-found the Scam Victim Alliance, now a national support network for survivors.Content note: this conversation touches on financial loss, bank disputes and, briefly, thoughts of suicide. If any of this affects you personally, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14.Truth matters. Quality journalism costs.Your subscription to Mencari directly funds the investigative reporting our democracy needs. For less than a coffee per week, you enable our journalists to uncover stories that powerful interests would rather keep hidden. No corporate influence. No compromises. Just honest journalism when we need it most.Five Key Takeaways* A $250 “curiosity click” on a fake Shark Tank-endorsed investment ad grew into a $2.6 million loss within three months, partly because the scammers used a legitimate-looking 100-point identity check to build trust early on.* Banks let large, unusual transfers through — including $1.1 million in under three hours — because Sylvia had sent money to the same account before, and the pattern wasn’t flagged as new.* Anti-money-laundering reporting obligations sit with government regulators, not with the customer. Sylvia argues that’s the biggest structural gap letting scams slip through.* Australia’s new Scams Prevention Framework is meant to share responsibility across banks, telcos and platforms, but Sylvia says it’s made recovery harder, since victims now have to build a case against multiple large institutions with almost no information of their own.* Sylvia co-founded the Scam Victim Alliance after meeting other seven-figure-loss victims at a 2024 Canberra press conference. The group now runs weekly support sessions and helps survivors through the AFCA complaints process.Detailed SynopsisContent note: this episode discusses financial loss, disputes with banks and, briefly, thoughts of suicide. If any of this affects you, you can contact Lifeline at 13 11 14.The ClickIt started with $250 and a television show. Sylvia was scrolling Facebook in 2019 when she saw an ad for a trading platform claiming a Shark Tank endorsement. She watched the show regularly and recognised some of the people who were quoted in the comments. Out of curiosity, she clicked through and paid $250 to open an account. Worst case, she thought, that’s all she’d lose.The SetupThe platform didn’t ask for real money straight away. It asked for identification: a driver’s licence, proof of address, and a “100-point check”, exactly like opening a bank account. To a finance professional who runs the same checks on her own clients, the process looked like diligence, not danger. She topped up to $10,000 as a starting point. Every step made the platform feel more legitimate.The EscalationOver the following months, the amounts grew. One transfer alone moved $1.1 million in under three hours. Her bank didn’t flag it, because she’d sent money to that account before. By the time Sylvia understood what was happening, she had lost $2.6 million.The FalloutThe public response was harsh. After a news story about her case ran on Facebook, one comment read: “I’m glad she’s not my accountant.” Others suggested that if she had so much money, she must be greedy for wanting more.Sylvia says the loss itself wasn’t the hardest part. It was watching people question her professional judgement and her character at the same time. During the worst of it, she says she thought seriously about ending her life. What kept her going was the thought of the friends who had lent her money and trusted her to pay it back.Finding Each OtherSylvia lobbied on her own for years, with limited effect. That changed in 2024, when she met a group of fellow scam victims at a press conference in Canberra, supported by an advocate she names as Debbie Pope. Between just three people in that room, total losses exceeded $5 million.Sylvia says standing with people who understood exactly what she’d been through, without judgement, was the moment the isolation started to lift. That meeting became the starting point for the Scam Victim Alliance.The Fight With the BanksSylvia is currently in disputes with three of Australia’s big four banks: the one she sent money from, the one that handled a ...
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    31 Min.
  • Beyond the Ban: How Parents Can Protect Children from Online Predators and Cyberbullying

    Beyond the Ban: How Parents Can Protect Children from Online Predators and Cyberbullying
    Nov 23 2025
    Australia is implementing a social media ban for children under 16, and this interview with Associate Professor Dr. Lesley Anne Ey from UniSA Education Futures explains the developmental science behind the decision. Children’s brains are still developing executive functioning and critical thinking skills through their teenage years, making them vulnerable to sophisticated online predators, cyberbullying, misinformation, and harmful content ranging from pornography to eating disorder promotion. The ban serves as a protective mechanism—similar to age restrictions on driving—to give children time to mature cognitively before facing these risks. However, Dr. Ey emphasizes that the ban alone isn’t enough. Media literacy education must become as important as math and English in schools, while parents need to educate themselves about online risks, maintain open communication with their children, and reassure them that no problem is too big to solve together. The interview explores whether the ban will effectively reduce harm or simply shift risks to platforms like gaming, and discusses why education remains the most powerful long-term protection strategy.Truth matters. Quality journalism costs.Your subscription to Mencari directly funds the investigative reporting our democracy needs. For less than a coffee per week, you enable our journalists to uncover stories that powerful interests would rather keep hidden. No corporate influence. No compromises. Just honest journalism when we need it most.Five Key Takeaways* Cognitive Development Timeline Drives Policy: Children’s executive functioning skills and critical thinking abilities continue developing until around age 16-17, with peak sexual development occurring between ages 10-17, making adolescents particularly vulnerable to online risks including predatory behavior, misinformation, and content promoting self-harm or eating disorders during this crucial developmental window.* Comprehensive Risk Landscape Beyond Cyberbullying: Social media exposure encompasses far more than bullying—risks include sextortion (perpetrators coercing sexual images then using them for control), child sexual abuse, false information shaping perceptions, conspiracy theories, body image dysphoria, addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, and access to dangerous content like bomb-making instructions or hate speech.* Perpetrators Outpace Both Police and Children: Child sexual abuse perpetrators are sophisticated actors who remain consistently ahead of law enforcement detection methods, operating secretively and manipulating children through grooming techniques—if police struggle to identify and trap these perpetrators, expecting cognitively developing children to recognize and resist them is unrealistic without protective measures.* Education Trumps Regulation as Long-Term Solution: While the ban provides temporary protection, Dr. Ey emphasizes that media literacy education represents a more effective long-term strategy than regulation alone, arguing it should receive equivalent priority to mathematics and English in curricula, with systematic monitoring and assessment of what children learn about recognizing and responding to online risks.* Parental Communication Provides Critical Safety Net: Children who fall victim to online grooming or send compromising images often remain silent due to fear of consequences or punishment, sometimes resulting in tragic outcomes including suicide—parents must establish that no problem is too big to address together, creating an approachable environment where children feel safe reporting uncomfortable or suspicious online interactions immediately.Detailed SynopsisThis interview examines Australia’s imminent social media ban for children under 16 through a conversation with Associate Professor Dr. Lesley Anne Ey, a child development expert from UniSA Education Futures. The discussion provides scientific context for the policy while exploring its practical implications and limitations.Dr. Ey grounds the policy rationale in developmental psychology, explaining that while the internet offers tremendous opportunities for learning, connection, and entertainment, it also creates a risk environment for which children are neurologically unprepared. The adolescent brain undergoes significant development between ages 10-17, a period that coincides with both sexual maturation and the formation of executive functioning skills necessary for critical thinking and risk assessment.The scope of online risks extends well beyond the commonly discussed cyberbullying. Dr. Ey catalogs a disturbing range of harms: sextortion schemes where perpetrators manipulate children into sending sexual images then use those images for ongoing control and abuse; direct child sexual exploitation; exposure to harmful instructional content including bomb-making guides; pornography; hate speech; misinformation campaigns; conspiracy theories deliberately designed to distort ...
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    28 Min.
  • Gas Prices vs. Climate Goals: Inside Australia's $500 Billion Energy Policy Debate

    Gas Prices vs. Climate Goals: Inside Australia's $500 Billion Energy Policy Debate
    Nov 15 2025
    This interview explores Australia’s current energy policy challenges through a conversation with a political leader advocating for change. At the heart of the discussion is a striking paradox: Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of natural gas, yet the country is building import terminals to bring gas back at higher prices. The speaker argues that current government policies are driving up electricity costs while failing to reduce emissions, costing taxpayers an estimated $75 billion to date with projections of over $500 billion more by 2035. The conversation examines the tension between meeting international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and delivering affordable energy to Australian families and industries. Key policy proposals include streamlining environmental approvals for gas projects, opening new gas basins, and prioritizing energy affordability while still reducing emissions responsibly.Truth matters. Quality journalism costs.Your subscription to Mencari directly funds the investigative reporting our democracy needs. For less than a coffee per week, you enable our journalists to uncover stories that powerful interests would rather keep hidden. No corporate influence. No compromises. Just honest journalism when we need it most.Five Key Takeaways* The LNG Export Paradox: Australia ranks as the world’s second or third-largest LNG exporter due to abundant natural gas reserves, yet the country is simultaneously constructing import terminals to purchase gas back at inflated prices—a situation the speaker characterizes as nonsensical for Australian consumers and industry.* Staggering Climate Policy Costs: Australia has already spent approximately $75 billion on emissions reduction efforts since 2005, with estimates suggesting an additional $500 billion will be required to meet the 2035 targets, even as power prices climb and emissions plateau or increase.* Environmental Approvals as Policy Bottleneck: The current environmental approval regime is identified as a critical obstacle preventing natural gas from reaching domestic markets, with accusations that government funding for environmental activist groups actively restricts supply expansion.* Paris Agreement Flexibility: While committed to the Paris Agreement framework, the speaker emphasizes that nationally determined contributions (NDCs) should be revised based on national interests and changing global circumstances, noting that many countries have already walked back or modified their commitments.* Gas as Transition Fuel Strategy: Natural gas is positioned as essential infrastructure serving three critical functions—industrial manufacturing, power generation, and emissions reduction as a transition fuel—making affordable gas access fundamental to both economic competitiveness and climate objectives.Detailed SynopsisThis interview captures a pivotal moment in Australia’s ongoing energy policy debate, recorded during a visit to the Sutherland Shire area of Sydney. The conversation reveals deep tensions between Australia’s climate commitments and the practical economic pressures facing households and industries struggling with rising energy costs.The discussion opens with firsthand observations from a powder coating facility, where rising gas and electricity prices are creating palpable economic strain. This real-world context frames the broader policy critique that follows. The speaker establishes a fundamental argument: that current national energy objectives are “working backwards” from unachievable long-term targets, driving electricity price increases in the process.A central paradox emerges as the interview progresses. Despite Australia’s position as a global LNG powerhouse—the world’s second or third-largest exporter—domestic gas markets face supply constraints severe enough to justify building import terminals. This scenario, the speaker suggests, represents a policy failure that defies common sense for ordinary Australians experiencing energy bill shock.The Paris Agreement becomes a key flashpoint in the conversation. When challenged about previous statements regarding “bureaucrats in Paris,” the speaker articulates a nuanced position: commitment to the Paris framework while reserving the right to revise Australia’s nationally determined contributions based on national interest. This position is contextualized within broader international trends, noting that many nations have modified or watered down their climate commitments as circumstances evolved.Historical comparison provides quantitative weight to the argument. The speaker notes that over the 20 years since 2005, Australia has nearly doubled its emissions reduction efforts compared to developing nations. Meeting Labor’s 2050 targets would require doubling those efforts again—at a cost the speaker deems unsustainable given current economic pressures.The critique extends to what the speaker characterizes as policy-driven...
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    27 Min.
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