Virginia I The Age & SMH Investigates

Virginia I The Age & SMH Investigates

The Age & SMH Investigates is the new home to the stories told by some of the best journalists in Australia. The latest series, Virginia, is coming soon and traces what happened in the final months of Virginia Giuffre’s life. Giuffre was fearless in taking down some of the world’s most powerful people. As Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent victim, she helped expose his crimes and hold his friends to account, including the man formerly known as Prince Andrew. But despite her heroic battle in the most notorious sex trafficking case of the 21st century, few know about one of her toughest fights. It was one she fought privately at home in Australia. Follow The Age and SMH Investigates to be first to listen to new episodes of Virginia from Walkley-award winning journalist Melissa Fyfe and WA Today reporter Carla Hildebrandt.

Episodes

April 3, 2022 1 min

Since late 2020, the case of missing Sydney woman Melissa Caddick has captivated the country. A seemingly successful businesswoman from Sydney's eastern suburbs went missing after authorities raided her Dover Heights home amid questions over an unlicensed financial planning business.
Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont would reveal key details of a massive Ponzi scheme and a $23 million fraud that rippe...

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Ahead of the launch of Liar, Liar: Melissa Caddick and the Missing Millions, investigative reporter Kate McClymont joined Please Explain's Nathanael Cooper to talk about the podcast and how the investigation came about. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Melissa Caddick, a seemingly successful Sydney businesswoman, turned out to be a sociopathic con artist who stole more than $23 million from clients - mainly family and friends. Within hours of her home being raided by the corporate regulator, she disappeared.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes' Tom Steinfort take a deep dive into one of the most extraordinary crimes of the century.

See omnystudio.com/listener...

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From stealing tableware at restaurants to faking her CV, we look at Melissa’s early life and reveal the early frauds she perpetrated and the ones that she got away with. Were there telltale signs that should’ve been noticed earlier, to avoid the bigger scams in later years?

You can find bonus material here.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes' Tom Steinfort take a deep dive into one of the m...

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Melissa Caddick's lies were not limited to her professional world, she wasn't afraid of perpetrating dastardly deeds in her private life. From the collapse of her first marriage to controlling exactly what, and how much, her friends and family knew, we investigate how she built the foundations for her biggest fraud.

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@...

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It was dangerous being one of Melissa Caddick's friends or even family, as that made you a prime target for her crimes. In this episode, we look at how Caddick lured victims into a scheme that meant if you were her friend she was the one who would benefit. We explore Ponzi schemes and highlight the eerie similarities between the crimes of Melissa Caddick and one of the greatest financial criminals in history - Bernie Madoff.

You ca...

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Diamonds, designer dresses and six-star destinations. Exactly what was Melissa Caddick doing with the vast sums of money that poured into her Ponzi scheme and why was she driven to spend like there was no tomorrow.

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes' Tom Steinfort take a deep dive in...

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As her perfect world began to fray at the seams we learn how a chance meeting in the waiting room of a dentist's surgery led to the unravelling of Melissa Caddick’s Ponzi scheme.

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes' Tom Steinfort take a deep dive into one of the most extraordina...

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Melissa Caddick's House of Cards collapsed when investigators raided her home. But within hours Caddick disappeared without a trace. So why did her husband Anthony Koletti take more than 30 hours to tell police his wife was missing?

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes' Tom Steinfort t...

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This episode is all about discoveries: the awful moment when Melissa's closest family and friends realise that the woman they trusted implicitly had robbed them blind, and the gruesome discovery that would turn the case on its head.

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Minutes' Tom Steinfort t...

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Melissa Caddick's husband, Anthony Koletti, has endured so much unwelcome attention since his wife’s sudden disappearance. It’s left him in a state of shock and confusion. His bizarre behaviour since 'The Raid' has only added to the scrutiny.

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont and 60 Mi...

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In the season finale, we examine the life-long implications for Melissa Caddick's victims and the fracturing of relationships in her own family. We also answer listeners' most asked questions about this baffling case and explore where it all goes from here.

You can find bonus material here.

If you have more information about this case, please contact us at liarliarpodcast@smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald's Kate McClymont a...

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The Coroner's inquest into the disappearance & suspected death of Melissa Louise Caddick has begun and Kate McClymont has been there for every minute of it.

In this special episode, we bring you the latest from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's podcast Please Explain, where Kate tells us all the essential information from week one of the inquest.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The second week of the Coroner's inquest into the disappearance & suspected death of Melissa Louise Caddick has seen her husband, Anthony Koletti, give evidence about the raid and Melissa's disappearance. 

In this special episode, we bring you the latest from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's podcast Please Explain, where Kate tells us all the essential information from the second week of the inquest.

See omnys...

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Warning: This story contains graphic content.

We finally know what happened in the missing persons investigation that captured a nation. Melissa Caddick, the fraudster who stole $23 million from her closest family and friends, is dead.

So said the deputy state coroner, who handed down her report last week. But how did she come to this finding? Until now, all we knew was that Caddick’s right foot had washed up on the shores of...

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May 26, 2024 4 mins

From The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Trial by Water is a new investigative podcast series about Robert Farquharson, who has been locked up for decades for an unthinkable crime: murdering his three sons in a dam on Father’s Day, 2005.

Now scientists and lawyers are asking the question: did we get it wrong? And is this man in prison for a crime he didn’t commit?

Episode 1 will arrive on Saturday, June 1.

See omnystudio....

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October 2, 2025 4 mins

For decades, families in Australia and overseas, have been accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable. Diagnosing Murder is an investigative podcast about parents who've had their children taken away, sat in the dock and even done time in prison. All for something they insist they didn't do – shake their baby. Can we trust the science behind shaken baby syndrome? Or are innocent people being locked up for a crime they neve...

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November 1, 2025 60 mins

Kabir and Dipika's case reaches its dramatic conclusion. And, while officials say they're not keeping track of how many shaken baby cases there are in Australia, an unlikely duo – the loved ones of people imprisoned for shaking – work night and day to find out. 

For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/podcast/...

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November 1, 2025 56 mins

Once forensic physicians believe a child might have been shaken, their next step is to look for a perpetrator. When they call in police and child protection, the investigation starts in earnest. It all starts inside Victoria's beloved Royal Children's hospital. 

For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, visit theage.com.au/podcast/diagnosingmu...

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November 1, 2025 60 mins

Doctors and lawyers can't come to a consensus on the science of shaken baby syndrome 50 years after it was first proposed as a theory. Does shaking a baby actually lead to the brain damage seen in historical and current cases? And why has the argument become so heated that some describe it as a war?  

For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case, available to subscribers of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, ...

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