Mining recruitment scammer made to pay $25,000
Posted by editor (editor) on Dec 10 2009
2009 >>

North Queensland man Roger Temple Bell has been ordered to pay $25,000 for duping hopeful job seekers with the promise of mining positions that didn't exist.

Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor said Mr Bell of Mount Molloy near Cairns pleaded guilty to 12 offences in the Cairns Magistrate Court this week (3/12/09) for misleading conduct in relation to employment.

Magistrate Pinder convicted Mr Bell of the charges under section 41 of the Fair Trading Act 1989.

"Mr Bell was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay within 12 months or face three month's jail for offering bogus jobs through his Mine Jobs Australia website,” Mr Lawlor said.

"This is a fitting outcome for the Office of Fair Trading which has been working hard to bring justice for the many hopeful jobseekers that Mr Bell ripped off.

"This person has faced court previously for a similar scam and it's hoped this new bigger fine will stop him in his tracks once and for all.

"The scam is cruel because it not only exploits people's hopes of a break in the mining industry but it also costs them hard earned cash.

"In fact, several complainants quit their permanent jobs because they thought they had got a better one through his company.

"One man not only resigned from his existing job, but also relocated his whole family to Queensland on the promise of one of the mining positions.

"They all booked flights, accommodation and purchased worthless 'Mine Jobs Passports' to pursue the opportunity, while others also paid for ebooks and courses."

Mr Bell ran his employment scam through a website called www.minejobsaustralia.com which offered expert mine job information services and invited expressions of interest about non-existent mining jobs.

He advertised across national newspapers, and jobseekers were told they had a 99 per cent chance of getting a mining job in places like the Bowen Basin.

Mr Lawlor said the scam unravelled when applicants were asked to fly to the Mackay and Townsville airports on 25 and 26 January 2009 so they could meet and then be taken by bus to the fictional Collinsville Mine.

"The buses that were meant to be waiting were not there and it was soon obvious they'd been tricked," he said.

Applicants also had to buy a $91 'Mine Jobs Passport' from Mine Jobs Australia to get the job and they were told the cost of their plane tickets would be refunded after six month's work.

Mr Lawlor said the victims were awarded a total of $3,308 in compensation and Mr Bell was also ordered to pay court costs.

On 17 June 2008 Roger Temple Bell was fined $3,000 for conducting a similar scam.

People with suspicions about a business's activities can report information to the Office of Fair Trading by calling 13 13 04 or visiting www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au

Last changed: Dec 10 2009 at 11:00 AM