Julian Fell
@jtfell.com
Journalist at ABC News Story Lab https://jtfell.com
Just months after high-profile crackdowns from Myanmar's military, several indicators show the scam industry is expanding exponentially. My latest with Libby Hogan and Jarrod Fankhauser. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
The rise of scam centres 2.0 in Myanmar's war zone
The scam industry in Myanmar is morphing and heading into the jungle rather than disappearing since a crackdown began.
abc.net.au
Not even the reserve bank knows what billions of dollars in banknotes are being used for. “It’s a mystery,” says Louis de Koker, a leading expert in money laundering at La Trobe University. “Researchers have theories, but they are still scratching their heads.” www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
Billions in cash can't be accounted for. Where is it all going?
There is no shortage of theories, from stacks of cash hidden at home to illicit activities, but little in the way of definitive answers.
abc.net.au
A landmark trial ended in Sydney this week with a guilty verdict for Shabtay Yaacoby. He worked with investment scammers to move more than $10m out of Australia. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...
Sydney court finds Israeli money launderer guilty over investment scam
Israeli citizen Shabtay Yaacoby is found guilty of laundering more than $10 million stolen by investment scammers.
abc.net.au
In the early days of the Middle East war, petrol stations hiked prices faster than the rise of global oil prices, in what several leading experts say was an attempt to maintain their profit margins. But since then, there has been a complete turnaround. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
Petrol stations tried to 'shape' the market – now it's shaping them
Petrol stations in our biggest cities hiked prices ahead of global oil prices, but experts say their profit margins are now much slimmer.
abc.net.au
Engineers at Block have adopted the latest AI tools, experimented with them, added them to their daily workflows. They’ve now seen their workplace cut virtually in half. I spoke to several Block staff – past and present – to find out what insiders think of the cuts www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...
'Something really shifted': Inside the software company that laid off 40pc of its staff
As big tech companies sack staff and say AI will pick up the slack, workers are left to grapple with what's really going on.
abc.net.au
The licences aren't worth the (virtual) paper they're written on, and they're likely to be raking in tens of millions of dollars a year in fees. My latest for ABC News. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
How illegitimate regulators operate in the name of a tiny African island
An ABC investigation has identified several individuals involved in a network of illegitimate corporate regulators and service firms.
abc.net.au
New from me: a look inside how one of Australia’s richest people built his gambling empire www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
Leaked texts from inside Australian billionaire's VIP gamblers club
Leaked messages between an Australian multi-billionaire and his former associate reveal the inner workings of the online casino Stake.
abc.net.au
A Caribbean court case, two whistleblowers, 18 months of gambling data and a Telegram transcript. It all comes together to show how Stake, an Australian-run online casino, responds to players showing signs of problem gambling. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
One player's case against the world's biggest crypto casino
Chat logs and gambling data show the tactics used by Australian-run online casino Stake to keep one user hooked.
abc.net.au
I'm getting emotional seeing this finally out there. After 18 months of conversations, court dates and bureaucratic brick walls, Alliyah's story finally is seeing the light of day. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
Alliyah 'married' their teacher at 13. No one else knew
Alliyah is reckoning with a decade of grooming and abuse at the hands of a trusted teacher.
abc.net.au
12-year-old Alliyah’s clowning around in science class, testing the waters to see how the new teacher will respond. It starts with a death stare and a smirk, but soon slips into a world of secrets. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
01 The Favourite | Secrets after school - ABC listen
12-year-old Alliyah’s clowning around in science class, testing the waters to see how the new teacher will respond. An unusual bond grows between them — and what starts with a death stare and a smirk,...
abc.net.au
As a 12 year old, Alliyah was looking for support. Instead, they found a teacher prepared to break every rule in the book. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Introducing... The Favourite - ABC listen
She's every student’s favourite teacher — warm, funny, the kind who bends the rules. But for one 12-year-old, Alliyah, her attention goes far beyond the classroom. The Favourite is a five-part series ...
abc.net.au
A little while back, my inbox came under attack. I'd been trying to track down an Australia scammer at the time. But the person behind it wasn't who I'd suspected. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...
ABC reporter 'email bombed' while hunting an Australian crypto scammer
How a malicious email barrage led to a hacker community, claims of extortion, and an insight into the dark side of online gambling.
abc.net.au
Scoop: Shuffle's executives are gambling on its own live broadcasts, despite the online casino being banned in Australia. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...
A multi-million-dollar online lottery is bending Australia's laws
Online casino Shuffle's executives are gambling on its own live broadcasts, despite it being banned in Australia.
abc.net.au
It is often said that after young people buy a house, they tend to gravitate towards conservative politics. But that step — a crucial marker of adulthood — has fallen increasingly out of reach for younger generations. An old voting trend is breaking down. www.abc.net.au/news/105253600
Trends show how younger, richer and rental areas voted
What data about voters' age, income level and home ownership status can tell us about the election result.
abc.net.au
We’re featured by ABC! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04... Explore your TikTok data and contribute to a study examining how TikTok influences political discourse: foryouparticipate.net/tiktok/ #ForYouProject #CitizenScience #TikTokResearch #QUT #auspol
Peering inside his TikTok viewing history, one user finds it is 'not just raw, pointless data'
A new tool created by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology is allowing people to see themselves through the eyes of the algorithm.
abc.net.au
As a self-professed data science nerd, Jordan Hennell is proud of how well he’s taught his TikTok algorithm. Find out what the algorithm knows about him – and you. My latest for ABC News Story Lab.
Peering inside his TikTok viewing history, one user finds it is 'not just raw, pointless data'
A new tool created by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology is allowing people to see themselves through the eyes of the algorithm.
abc.net.au
Massive night for the ABC at the IT Journalism Awards. It was so nice to see colleagues recognised for the amazing work they do – and none are more deserving than Kevin Nguyen and Gianfranco Di Giovanni.
My team at ABC News Story Lab has been busy scrambling to set up a tracker map and live wind charts as Cyclone Alfred approaches. I promise the backend isn't running on my laptop. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03... www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03...
Track wind speeds live as Cyclone Alfred approaches coast
Cyclone Alfred is due to cross the coast on Friday morning. Track wind speeds at key locations in the cyclone zone.
abc.net.au
The last line of security for much of your digital life probably isn’t as secure as you think. My latest for ABC News Story Lab
Is your PIN code among the first ones hackers are likely to try?
The ABC analysed 29 million stolen codes to help you avoid using an insecure one.
abc.net.au
"PFC was irrefutable proof that Spotify rigged its system against musicians who knew their worth." Important reporting from @lizpelly.bsky.social harpers.org/archive/2025...
The Ghosts in the Machine, by Liz Pelly
Spotify’s plot against musicians
harpers.org
Of the billions of panels in operation around the world, the vast majority of them have their intellectual origins in a lab in the Sydney suburbs. Here's how it seeded the coming revolution. Our latest interactive, in collaboration with ABC Climate. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...
A planet-wide solar boom is beating expectations at every turn
Satellite imagery reveals the staggering rise of solar farms around the world in recent years. Can Australia get on board?
abc.net.au
The thing that no one is talking about is how the United HealthCare CEO shooter lifted his assassination idea and did even did it at the LITERAL EXACT LOCATION from the first page of my novel.
Thrilled to pick up two Clarions last night, representing Story Lab and RN Future Tense!
Come for the scams, stay for Hugh Jackman's glowing reviews. Excellent investigation from ABC News Verify - honoured to be tangentially involved in it! www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...
We uncovered 57 online clothing shops trying to scam Australians. And they’re just the tip of the iceberg
An ABC NEWS Verify investigation has uncovered dozens of online clothing stores pretending to be high-end Australian fashion boutiques. Customers are sometimes shipped cheap, low-quality goods made in...
abc.net.au
Terrific reporting by Libby Hogan. Love to see the transparency around the reporting at the end. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...
Garment workers fear their children will go hungry after Australian fast fashion brand's collapse
The fast fashion giant behind Millers, Rivers and Katies has left factories in Bangladesh scrambling for reportedly more than $30 million in unpaid invoices — and the fallout threatens the livelihoods...
abc.net.au
Hi Bluesky. I'm Julian. Here's a thing I did recently: www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10...
The world's largest home robotics company has a problem – its vacuum cleaners can be hacked from afar
Without even entering the building, we were able to silently peer through the camera on a Deebot device made by Chinese giant Ecovacs.
abc.net.au
