Marc Eckley on the Darron Levin Case: Fraud Victims, More Charges and the Cost of Romance Scams
APAC Business Review reports that alleged property scammer Darron Marc Levin faces further charges. Marc Eckley, the UK-based financial fraud expert who took on a victim's case, on predatory fraud and its human cost.
On 31 August 2026, APAC Business Review reported that alleged property scammer Darron Marc Levin is likely to face further charges. Levin was arrested in Sydney on 25 August and charged with 31 offences — including obtaining financial advantage by deception, impersonating a solicitor, and attempting to stalk or intimidate with intent to cause fear of harm — after allegedly swindling six victims out of around $650,000.
The report notes that one of the women affected, who had met Levin through a dating app and had attempted to recover her funds through a debt collector, was eventually referred to Marc Eckley — described by the publication as a UK-based expert in global financial fraud. He took on the case without asking for payment.
"A predator of the worst kind"
"I quickly realised Levin is a predator of the worst kind. It's not just the financial damage but the emotional hurt he caused the women he targeted. Most of them, I subsequently discovered, were vulnerable single mothers."
Eckley's assessment aligns with the court's. Refusing bail, Judge Daniel Covington said the charges were serious and that "the allegations are sophisticated and involve planning." As Eckley puts it:
"The judge in his bail application was right when he said his (alleged) crimes involved a great deal of planning. From my investigations, it's clear there are many more victims, and closure for some of them is still a long way off."
What the reporting sets out
- Levin, previously convicted of fraud in 2024, was arrested at his Potts Point apartment by NSW Police, with officers from the ODIN special operations group present.
- He is alleged to have taken a total of $652,350 from investors in a fictitious North Bondi property scheme; police allege an estimated $2.5 million in luxury watches and jewellery found at the apartment was bought with proceeds of crime.
- Four further individuals have told APAC Business Review they paid a combined $151,000, with additional complainants expected to come forward.
- One charge relates to threats made against Sissi Wang, who publicly exposed the alleged scheme and reported the threats to police.
- A letter to Eckley from lawyers acting for Levin's sister states that she, too, considers herself a victim and had reported her brother to police before his arrest.
Why the human cost matters
Cases like this one are usually reported through the number attached to them. The number matters — but so does the pattern behind it: relationships built patiently over months, guarantees offered in writing, and pressure or intimidation applied the moment a victim asks for their money back. That pattern is what an investigator looks for, and it is why victims who feel isolated are so often part of a much larger group.
For anyone who believes they have been targeted in a romance or investment fraud, the first step is to report it to the police in their jurisdiction and preserve every message, transfer record and document. Enquiries through this site are handled in confidence.
Source: "Property scammer Darron Levin likely to face more charges", APAC Business Review, 31 August 2026. All matters referred to remain before the courts; charges are allegations until determined.