Banned trail book dealer Mark Whittingham will today front Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with 50 counts of Obtain Financial Advantage by Deception.
Whittingham has faced the ire of the mortgage broking industry over claims he resold exclusive databases, and failed to supply trail books, leads and rent rolls purchased by brokers and real estate agents.
Now, Whittingham will face the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a filing hearing related to charges brought by the Victoria Police.
A Victoria Police spokesperson contacted Australian Broker on Tuesday, confirming that "detectives from the Victoria Police Fraud and Extortion Squad have charged a man following a series of alleged fraud incidents in the mortgage broking and real estate industries". The spokesperson said a 45-year-old Beaumaris man had been charged relating to a series of incidents between December 2010 and August 2013.
A spokesperson for the Melbourne Magistrates Court confirmed to Australian Broker that Mark Whittingham would front the court charged with 50 counts of Obtain Financial Advantage by Deception.
Whittingham had previously been forced by Victoria Consumer Affairs to pay nearly $200,000 in compensation to real estate agents for rent rolls he took deposits for but did not supply. He was banned from being the director of a company until 2028, and from dealing in rent rolls, mortgage trail books or planning books until 2023.
