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The Latest Breaking News from Consumer Affairs Victoria

Criminal charges against Australian debt collection company Panthera Finance dismissed

Consumer Affairs Victoria ordered to pay costs after firm successfully argues it is not technically engaged in debt collection owed to another person

The Guardian - AU

Owner of scandal-plagued Panthera Finance tells court it was not technically operating illegally in Victoria

Lawyers claim that because Panthera had ‘acquired’ the debts, it was not technically engaged in collecting debt owed to a third party

The Guardian - AU

Debt collecting giant pursued 200,000 debts from Victorians while allegedly banned from operating in state

Thousands of people affected by actions of Panthera Finance, before it was acquired by new owners Francom Group

The Guardian - AU

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The Victorian government is cracking down on underquoting property agents. What is being proposed and will it work?

New guidelines aim to ensure agents use the most comparable properties when estimating a home’s price, but experts say wider reforms are needed

The Guardian - AU

Panda Mart Hit With Public Warning Over ‘Dangerous’ Products Just 1 Week After Opening

Viral Melbourne store Pandamart has been handed a safety warning issued by Consumer Affairs Victoria a week after it opened.

Pedestrian.tv

Bogus wellness blogger Gibson still pursued over fines

Fake wellness blogger Belle Gibson is now 383 weeks behind the two-week deadline to pay more than $410,000 in fines.

AAP

Belle Gibson: Victorian authorities ‘won’t let up’ on pursuit of cancer con artist’s unpaid $410,000 fine

Speaking after Netflix released Apple Cider Vinegar, Jacinta Allan says consumer watchdog is ‘constantly’ working to recover fine imposed in 2017

The Guardian - AU

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Who Is Belle Gibson? The Chilling True Story Behind Apple Cider Vinegar

Netflix’s new series Apple Cider Vinegar has put the chilling story of cancer scammer Belle Gibson back into the spotlight. This is her true story.

Pedestrian.tv

Revealed: criminals and unlicensed agents operating across Australia’s real estate sector

Revelations come amid federal government push for additional scrutiny of sector through counter-terror financing and money-laundering laws

The Guardian - AU

Debt collector taken to court after flouting trade ban

Victoria's consumer protection watchdog will take a debt collector to court after the company allegedly continued to operate in the state despite being banned.

AAP

Debt collecting giant Panthera charged for allegedly flouting operating ban in Victoria

A blacklisting was imposed on the company in 2020 after a federal court found it had harassed consumers to pay disputed debts

The Guardian - AU

Future Renters Can Now Report Shit Properties In Victoria Through A Cheeky Complaint Form

"These measures are making our rental market fairer for all Victorians."

Pedestrian.tv

Revealed: How an Australian debt collection giant dodged its own blacklisting

Exclusive: Panthera Finance circumvented an order to cease buying and chasing debts in Victoria by passing on business to a sister company that hounded an autistic child

The Guardian - AU

‘Scope for exploitation’: investors eye rooming house conversions amid Melbourne rental crisis

Explosion of interest has advocates worried about vulnerable residents and unregistered dwellings

The Guardian - AU

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The Guardian - AU

Top Australian debt collector still operating in Victoria despite blacklisting

Exclusive: Consumer Affairs Victoria investigating Panthera, which was fined $500,000 in 2020 after pursuing debts from people who were not liable

The Guardian - AU

Victorians lodge record 5,400 challenges to rent increases over past 12 months

Consumer Affairs Victoria says it redirected extra staff to manage 120% rise in requests for rent increase reviews

The Guardian - AU

Victoria’s expanded rent bidding ban sparks concerns over enforcement and effectiveness

But Daniel Andrews tells Guardian Australia the plan closes ‘loophole’ being exploited amid housing crisis

ABC News

Chinese investors call for mandatory translation of property rules, as fallout at one of Australia's largest apartment buildings continues

Chinese investors call for mandatory translation of property regulations and proxy vote forms, amid ongoing disputes at the Aurora apartment complex.

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ABC News

Consumers need motor vehicle ombudsman to resolve second-hand car disputes, advocates say

Just weeks after Pushkar Gogia bought a refrigerated van for his dessert business, the vehicle's engine went "kaput". He says getting the problem fixed was much harder than it should have been — and consumer groups agree.

The Guardian - AU

Underquoting in Australian real estate industry is leaving buyers feeling betrayed

The only thing that will stop practice of underquoting on price guides is to ‘name and shame’ those caught doing it, says one buyers agent

ABC News

Calls for motor vehicle ombudsman to help Victorian consumers to resolve car disputes

Finding a resolution with the car dealer has been time-consuming, expensive and ultimately unsuccessful for his family. Consumer advocates say cases like this prove the need for a motor vehicle ombudsman.

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