A woman who stole nearly $450,000 from a prominent Auckland couple also pinched thousands from a previous employer - and altered her CV to hide her crime.

The Serious Fraud Office wants tougher penalties for people found guilty of corruption in the private sector.

The chief executive of Kim Dotcom's latest start-up, the boss of the Financial Markets Authority, a former police detective and a Buddhist nun are at a conference beginning in Auckland today.

A woman stole more than $400,000 from a prominent Auckland couple who say she used it to fund a lavish lifestyle.

A couple ripped off family members in a fraud involving fake emails from billionaire Graeme Hart, gift bags of gold and confidential million-dollar deals, a court heard.

Mark Hotchin has been keeping his head down. These days, he's a stay-at-home family man who enjoys a game of tennis and swimming.

It is good that we finally have the Serious Fraud Office's decision on Hanover. Obviously those under investigation will be relieved at the outcome. T

If shopping for a living sounds tempting, don't be taken in by an email claiming to be from "Mark Powell", who promises mystery shoppers no less than $550 a job. This is likely an attempt at identity theft.

An advocacy group for the elderly is warning pensioners of a potential scam involving personalised letters.

Former Hanover director Mark Hotchin has gone to court seeking some reimbursement for the millions of dollars he paid towards the construction of an Auckland mansion.

A life ban for a lawyer accused of stealing $3 million from clients was "the only appropriate penalty", the Law Society says.

The Serious Fraud Office says it will not be making any prosecutions around the collapse of Hanover Finance.

Banks and police are trying to stay ahead of wily credit card fraudsters - but as long as banks mail pre-activated cards, the problem will persist.

After a week-long holiday relaxing in the Far North, Chloe Johnson panics when she tries to buy skincare products online and discovers the card is missing from its usual home inside her wallet.

A highly manipulative fraudster who conned a former boyfriend out of $80,000, wrecking his business and "destroying his life", has been jailed for four years.

An Auckland banker faces a jail term after stealing nearly $1 million from his clients.

The elderly founder of the failed Five Star group, Neill Williams, has been sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for misleading investors - a longer jail stint than any of his colleagues from the set of finance companies.

Two jailed Capital+Merchant directors have failed in their "strawman" bid to take their case to the Supreme Court.

Five Star group founder Neill Williams has been jailed for 3 years seven months for misleading investors.

When Five Star finance company boss Neill Williams is sentenced in court today, it will be just the latest stage in a series of misadventures, reports Hamish Fletcher.

A flamboyant New Zealander who posed as a Tahitian prince while he defrauded the Queensland government of A$16.6 million ($20 million) is appealing against his 14-year prison sentence.

New Zealand's biggest white-collar fraud trial has been delayed a month and won't start until next March.