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Got SovCits? Warning Signs, Practical Steps, and Where to Report Your Concerns
As you may know from the media coverage and/or from my second book Chasing Shadows: My Life as a Pseudo-Law Extremist, I spent part of my younger life immersed in the sovereign-citizen world.
I know the language. I know the promises. I know the intoxicating feeling of believing that you have discovered something hidden from everybody else: that governments are fraudulent, conventional lawyers don't understand the real law, courts are operating under concealed rules, and somewhere beneath it all is a collection of words, documents or procedures capable of setting you free.
I also know how far down that road a person can travel.
This article is not an argument against questioning government, distrusting institutions or holding unconventional political or legal beliefs. Those things, by themselves, do not make somebody dangerous, dishonest or part of a cult.
Nor should the label "sovereign-citizen" be carelessly applied to everyone who challenges government authority.
The question this article aims to address is one that I have a lot of people reach out to me asking:
What happens when alternative beliefs become a mechanism for control?
What happens when somebody claiming special legal, financial, spiritual or governmental knowledge begins asking other people for money, property, obedience or isolation from the outside world?
And what can you actually do about it?
First: Don't Get Distracted by the Vocabulary
Groups of this kind do not necessarily call themselves sovereign citizens.
Most vehemently reject the term.
Some will immediately tell you that the expression is an oxymoron.
Their reasoning is roughly this:
“Sovereign” means possessing supreme or ultimate authority.
“Citizen” means being a member or subject of a political state and therefore subject to its laws.
From their perspective, you therefore cannot simultaneously be sovereign and a citizen. If you are sovereign, they argue, the state has no inherent authority over you; if you are a citizen, you have accepted the state's jurisdiction.
This is why you encounter alternative descriptions. They may describe themselves as sovereign people, living men or women, state nationals, common-law citizens, constitutionalists, private citizens, freemen, members of private societies, alternative governments, assemblies, kingdoms, republics or something entirely different. I referred to myself as a pharaoh at the height of my infamy.
The terminology changes. What matters is behaviour.
The central proposition is often some variation of:
Government authority applies to the legal construct, but I am the living person behind it, and I can separate myself from that construct or withdraw my consent.
Focus less on what the movement calls itself and more on what it is asking people to do.
Don't get stuck debating the terminology.
Ask what the person actually believes.
A movement does not cease to share characteristics with sovereign-citizen ideology simply because its members reject the name.
Warning Signs
No single warning sign proves that you are dealing with a cult, scam or abusive organisation.
Look for patterns.
1. One person gradually becomes the source of truth
Be cautious when disagreement with a leader becomes almost impossible.
A healthy organisation should survive scrutiny.
A dangerous one may increasingly teach its followers that the leader uniquely understands the law, financial system, Constitution, spirituality, government or some hidden truth that outsiders cannot comprehend.
The question becomes:
Can the leader actually be challenged?
Or does every challenge somehow become proof that the leader was right?
2. The outside world is portrayed as fundamentally deceived
You may begin hearing that:
lawyers don't understand the "real" law
judges are corrupt or secretly know the movement is correct
governments are corporations masquerading as governments
mainstream media cannot be trusted under any circumstances
family members questioning the movement are "asleep"
former members are traitors
critics are government agents or enemies
conventional institutions are deliberately hiding the truth
Any institution can legitimately be criticised.
The warning sign is when a belief system becomes unfalsifiable; every piece of contradictory evidence is simply incorporated into the conspiracy.
3. Special language creates an alternative reality
Language can become incredibly powerful.
Ordinary words may suddenly acquire supposedly hidden legal meanings, maybe through etymology or religious texts.
Birth certificates, names, signatures, capital letters, maritime law, corporations, trusts, citizenship, sovereignty and contracts may be given extraordinary interpretations.
Members can eventually become fluent in an internal vocabulary that makes perfect sense inside the group while becoming increasingly detached from how Australian courts and institutions actually operate.
If someone gives you a 40-minute explanation for why Australian law doesn't mean what every Australian court says it means, maybe obtain genuinely independent legal advice before acting on it.
4. The leader and the members discourage independent professional advice
This is one of the clearest warning signs I would personally watch for.
Be extremely cautious if you are discouraged from speaking independently with:
a solicitor
accountant
licensed financial adviser
bank
government regulator
police
family members
established professional organisations
Particularly concerning are statements suggesting that conventional professionals cannot understand the arrangement because they are part of the system being “exposed”.
If an arrangement is legitimate, independent scrutiny should not destroy it.
5. Money begins moving towards the leader or organisation
This is where ideology can become materially dangerous.
Pay attention when followers are encouraged to:
invest money
transfer property
contribute substantial "donations"
purchase unusual memberships
place assets into unfamiliar trusts or structures
open unusual investment accounts
pay for documents supposedly providing legal protection
surrender financial control
take out loans
recruit additional investors
purchase land collectively
transfer cryptocurrency
sign documents they do not completely understand
Do not rely on the person promoting the arrangement to explain whether the arrangement is legitimate.
Get independent advice.
Australian Scamwatch specifically identifies high-pressure tactics, extravagant investment promises, recruitment of friends and family, and claims that a person offering financial services does not require an Australian Financial Services licence as investment-scam warning signs.
6. You are pressured to act quickly
Urgency is powerful.
"You need to get in now."
"They are about to change the law."
"This opportunity won't exist next month."
"The government is about to collapse."
"Once enough people understand this, everything changes."
Slow down.
Legitimate opportunities can withstand questions.
Before transferring significant money or property, sleep on it, speak privately with someone outside the organisation and obtain independent professional advice.
7. Members become financially dependent
Financial dependence can make leaving extraordinarily difficult.
Watch for situations where somebody loses independent control over their bank accounts, income, assets, housing or employment.
Australian Government material concerning financial abuse identifies behaviours such as forcing somebody to sign contracts, making them give away money or belongings, creating debts in their name and restricting access to bank accounts as serious warning signs in coercive relationships.
Those principles are worth remembering whenever power and money become concentrated around another person.
8. Members become isolated
Isolation does not always begin with an order.
Sometimes it happens gradually.
Family members "don't understand."
Old friends are "negative."
Critics are "brainwashed."
Former members are "enemies."
Eventually the movement becomes the person's primary source of friendship, information, identity and purpose.
Australian guidance on coercive control recognises isolation, monitoring, financial control, intimidation and threats as behaviours capable of stripping people of independence. That guidance specifically concerns abusive personal and family relationships, so it should not automatically be used to diagnose a group. But the behaviours themselves are worth recognising when they appear elsewhere.
9. Leaving carries consequences
Ask a simple question:
What happens if I leave?
Can members walk away peacefully?
Can they disagree publicly?
Can they take their property with them?
Can they maintain relationships with current members?
Or are former members threatened, humiliated, financially punished, harassed or subjected to campaigns designed to destroy their credibility?
The freedom to join means very little without the freedom to leave.
10. The leader becomes exempt from the rules
This is perhaps the oldest warning sign of all.
Everybody else must sacrifice.
Everybody else must demonstrate loyalty.
Everybody else must explain themselves.
But somehow the leader remains exceptional.
Watch what happens when the leader makes a mistake.
Are they accountable?
Or does the ideology continually rearrange itself to protect them?
What Should You Actually Do?
If you become concerned about a movement, do not immediately confront its leader or members.
You don't know how that person will respond, and confrontation can sometimes drive an involved friend or relative further towards the group.
Instead, become methodical.
Preserve evidence.
Keep copies of material you lawfully possess.
That might include:
emails
text messages
contracts
receipts
bank records
investment documents
advertisements
public webpages
social-media posts
screenshots
names of companies or organisations
ABNs or ACNs
dates and locations
names used by organisers
descriptions of meetings
records of money requested or transferred
Keep a chronology.
Write down what happened, when it happened, who was involved and what evidence supports it.
Do not embellish.
Do not speculate when reporting.
Separate:
What I know.
What I witnessed.
What somebody told me.
What I suspect.
That distinction makes information considerably more useful.
ASIC similarly recommends gathering key facts such as dates, identities, contact information and details of the financial product or service before submitting a misconduct report.
Where Can You Report It in Australia?
There is no government agency responsible for investigating somebody simply because you consider them a cult leader.
Nor should there be.
You report conduct, not merely beliefs.
The appropriate authority depends upon what is actually happening.
Immediate danger, violence or a crime in progress. Call 000.
Do not attempt to personally investigate somebody you believe may be violent.
Suspected Fraud or Scams
Report suspicious scam activity to Scamwatch.
If money has already been transferred, contact your financial institution immediately as well.
Scamwatch advises people whose personal or financial information has been compromised to act quickly, and cybercrime involving stolen money, identity information or extortion may also warrant a police report.
Investments or Financial Services
If somebody is offering investments, financial products or financial advice and you are concerned about misconduct, check and report relevant conduct through ASIC.
Do not assume that an impressive title, private association, trust, membership card, elaborate website or unconventional legal explanation replaces regulatory requirements.
ASIC asks people reporting suspected misconduct to provide concrete facts about the person or organisation and the financial product or service involved.
Cybercrime
Cybercrime can be reported through the Australian Government's ReportCyber.
This may be relevant where conduct involves account compromise, cyber-enabled fraud, identity crime, extortion or other forms of cybercrime.
Serious Online Abuse
Serious adult cyber abuse, image-based abuse, cyberbullying involving children and certain illegal or restricted online material can be reported through the eSafety Commissioner.
Preserve evidence before content disappears, provided it is lawful and safe to do so.
Tax Avoidance or Tax-Evasion Schemes
If you have information suggesting that a person or organisation may be evading tax, concealing income, operating in the shadow economy, promoting an unlawful tax scheme, or using a purported not-for-profit or unincorporated association structure to disguise what appears to be private or commercial activity, you can provide a confidential tip-off to the ATO. Simply describing an organisation as an “unincorporated association” or “not-for-profit” does not automatically make its income exempt from Australian taxation.
The ATO specifically asks for information about the scheme, promoter or facilitator and relevant promotional material where available.
Registered Charities or “Not-for-profits”
If an organisation is a registered Australian charity and your concern relates to matters within the charity regulator's jurisdiction such as Incorporated or Unincorporated Associations, concerns can be raised with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
The ACNC says it reviews concerns it receives and may refer matters to another agency where appropriate.
Violent Extremism or Threats to National Security
This category needs to be treated carefully.
Unconventional, anti-government or sovereign beliefs do not automatically constitute violent extremism.
But if you have information concerning threats of violence, terrorism, violent extremist material or somebody potentially becoming radicalised towards violence, Australia's National Security Hotline operates 24 hours a day on 1800 123 400.
Reports can be anonymous.
If Someone You Love Is Already Involved
This may be the hardest situation.
Ridiculing them probably won't help.
Calling them stupid probably won't help.
Trying to defeat an entire worldview in one conversation probably won't help either.
Keep a relationship with them if doing so is safe.
Ask questions.
"Who independently verified that?"
"What would convince you that this wasn't true?"
"Can we show this document to a solicitor who isn't connected with the organisation?"
"What happens if you decide you want your money back?"
"Are you allowed to leave?"
"Why does questioning the leader make somebody an enemy?"
You are trying to preserve something incredibly important:
A bridge back to reality.
If somebody eventually begins questioning the movement, having one person they can speak to without humiliation may matter enormously.
Don't Become a Vigilante
Concern does not give you permission to harass somebody.
Do not trespass.
Do not threaten people.
Do not impersonate authorities.
Do not attempt to hack accounts.
Do not publish private personal information.
Do not manufacture evidence.
Do not deliberately provoke members hoping to capture their reaction.
And do not publicly accuse identifiable people of fraud, criminality or other misconduct unless you have an appropriate factual and legal basis for what you are saying.
If you have evidence, preserve it and send it to the appropriate authority.
Let the investigators investigate.
Intelligence does not necessarily protect somebody from an ideology that offers certainty, belonging and an explanation for why their life or society does not make sense.
The danger is not simply believing something strange.
People are entitled to strange beliefs.
So if somebody tells you they can make you sovereign, free you from the system, protect your assets from laws nobody else understands, reveal the secret structure of government or place you beyond conventional authority, you don't necessarily need to argue with them.
Just ask questions.
Can I independently verify this?
Can I seek outside legal advice?
Can I keep control of my money and property?
Can I disagree?
Can I leave?
If the answer to those questions begins becoming no, the problem may no longer be about freedom and sovereignty.
It may be about control.
This article provides general information from an Australian perspective and reflects, in part, my own lived experience. It is not legal, financial or psychological advice. Unconventional beliefs, criticism of government and association with alternative political or legal movements do not by themselves establish criminality, fraud, mental illness, extremism or abusive conduct. If you are making a significant legal or financial decision, obtain independent professional advice. If somebody is in immediate danger in Australia, call 000.
