Fake ABC News stories used to sell investment scams, money trail points to Sapphire network
By Patrick Lancier
TL;DR — On 20 August 2026, ABC News reported that near-perfect clones of its own stories have been used to push investment scams. The money trail, the outlet says, leads to a network known as Sapphire, with headquarters in Israel and call centres in Tel Aviv, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Cyprus, Macedonia and Israel. More than 4,000 Australians were targeted. Five victims were interviewed. Named companies and Shefi Goldberg deny fraud. ABC does not say Trigo XO ran the fake articles or the calls.
How did fake ABC pages draw Australian victims in?
Julian Fell’s Story Lab investigation describes pages that copy ABC News so closely that a reader would not, at a glance, see a counterfeit. The copy sells a broker, a trading “course” or an immigration service. The first debit is often about $350. Once that payment clears, a caller takes over. Trades in oil or gold are discussed. Then come the familiar holds: a frozen account, a liquidity problem, fees required to release funds.
Five Australians sat for interviews. Their bank statements were lined up against leaked internal spreadsheets. Rodger paid about $125,000 in June 2024 on a platform called The FBTC, presented as a Swiss broker, then met the freeze-and-fees script. Toby — a pseudonym — was pulled in by a cloned ABC story in early 2026 and lost more than $500,000 on trades the investigation treats as fictitious. A fake debt followed. Pressure was applied to borrow against his house and his business. Susan, in New South Wales, paid $378.50 to Finterex Capital, a name later added to the MoneySmart watchlist. She was refunded after she disputed the charge. Anna made two payments that match the spreadsheet, through Ambit Capital.
What money trail did ABC follow to Sapphire?
ABC traces the cash to Sapphire, active since at least 2021. Headquarters: Israel. Call centres: Tel Aviv, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Cyprus, Macedonia and Israel. More than 4,000 Australians appear as targets. The OCCRP estimates Sapphire extracted “hundreds of millions of dollars”, through investment scams alone.
The documents did not start at ABC. They were leaked to Swedish public broadcaster SVT (Joachim Dyfvermark) and shared with OCCRP in 2025 under the Scam Empire project. ABC names Qurium (Tord Lundstrom) and amaBhungane (Dewald Van Rensburg) as partners. OCCRP’s FAQ treats two groups as distinct — it does not say they are the same. The Israeli-European operation: more than $247 million paid by nearly 27,000 people in more than 30 countries, January 2021 to December 2024. A.K. Group, Georgia: $35.3 million and more than 6,179 clients, May 2022 to February 2025. Sapphire Tower in Ramat Gan was used until April 2024. Headcount in August 2023: 480. Platforms on the Israeli-European side: 79. OCCRP says the founders and ultimate beneficiaries of that side remain unknown.
What do the named companies and Goldberg say?
Toby’s first payment landed at Trigo XO, a Melbourne firm in Toorak. ABC found three “course” sites and a broken checkout. Another Australian paid $365 and received a 35-page leadership PDF. The firm’s accountant reported the matter to AUSTRAC. An AUSTRAC spokesperson declined to comment. After ABC made contact, the firm, its director and its sole shareholder cut ties. The director said the real owner would be in Israel and described a call with Shefi Goldberg.
ABC’s wording is narrow. The company “appeared to be used to launder payments”. The outlet does not suggest that Trigo XO, or anyone associated with it, was actively defrauding people through fake articles or phone calls. Goldberg said: “We didn’t have any fraudulent activity.” In a statement to Qurium he denied any ownership, control or involvement with Trigo XO Pty Ltd. On Susan: “Sorry but I have no clue about any of this.” GoBe Marketing, where he is a co-director, lists call centres in Israel, Cyprus, South Africa, Spain and the Philippines, and visas for the United States and Canada. MSG Marketing, GoBe’s South African subsidiary, was the subject of a 2021 South African judgment about processing investment-scam payments dressed up as immigration. Goldberg: “I was never involved in processing any of such payments.” USC Market Place, an Israeli company whose director is a GoBe employee, received Australian victim payments in 2024.
How does the SVT-OCCRP leak sit alongside ABC’s reporting?
The leak is 1.9 terabytes. SVT received it. OCCRP and about 30 partners worked it in 2025. ABC’s 2026 story is the Australian cut: cloned public-media pages, local victims, local payment vehicles. Smart Pay / Allegiant Holdings Ltd — Cyprus, not the UK namesake — appears as a processor in leaked videos. The email cited is info@smart-pay.biz. Goldberg is the sole shareholder. He first denied owning entities in Cyprus, then said the company was “used for the provision of services”, that he is “merely registered” and “not involved in the management or day-to-day operation”.
None of that is a court finding in Australia. OCCRP still cannot name the Israeli-European founders. The two groups in the leak are presented as separate. This dispatch does not merge their totals, and it does not add deaths, seizures or verdicts that the cited outlets did not publish.
What did ABC stop short of claiming?
The limit is explicit. ABC does not accuse Trigo XO of writing the clones or staffing the phones. It describes an apparent use of the firm to move an entry payment. Goldberg’s denials are on the record, in several registers, and they are part of the story. A watchlist entry for Finterex Capital on MoneySmart is also on the record — after Susan’s $378.50 payment, not before. AUSTRAC is on the record only as having been notified, and as offering no comment.
What the 20 August investigation does establish is narrower and still specific: fake ABC pages used to sell investments; a Sapphire money trail; more than 4,000 Australians in the files; five interviewed victims whose statements match leaked spreadsheets; named vehicles in Melbourne, Israel and Cyprus; and a set of denials. That is the file. It is not a verdict.
FAQ
What did ABC report on 20 August 2026?
That near-perfect clones of ABC News stories have been used to sell investment scams, and that the money trail leads to the Sapphire network, headquartered in Israel, with call centres in several countries. More than 4,000 Australians were targeted.
How many Australians were targeted?
More than 4,000, according to ABC, with names and payments appearing in leaked Sapphire spreadsheets. Five victims were interviewed and their bank records were cross-checked.
What did Goldberg say?
He denied fraudulent activity, denied ownership or control of Trigo XO Pty Ltd, said he had “no clue” about Susan’s payment, denied processing the South African immigration-style payments, and said he is merely registered on the Cypriot entity and not involved in day-to-day operations.
Does ABC say Trigo XO ran the fake articles?
No. ABC says the company “appeared to be used to launder payments”. It does not suggest that Trigo XO, or anyone associated with it, was actively defrauding people through fake articles or calls.
What does OCCRP say about the two groups?
They are treated as distinct. The Israeli-European operation accounts for more than $247 million from nearly 27,000 people. A.K. Group in Georgia accounts for $35.3 million and more than 6,179 clients. OCCRP says it has no proof the groups are the same, and that the Israeli-European founders remain unknown.
By Patrick Lancier
