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Three cyber criminals responsible for a hack impacting 1,800 South Australians may walk free.
The three Chinese nationals — Sheng Li, 24, Renzhong Chen, 31 and Xiaoxin Zheng, 20 — were arrested after they were accused of conducting a major streaming services hack that affected users in several South Australian suburbs.
The hackers gained access to the personal details of 1,800 users through phishing, making use of the data made public from the Optus scam. Users of Spotify, Netflix and Foxtel were affected.
“The victims have so far been identified as being compromised through the Optus hack (using) phishing scams of Spotify, Netflix and Foxtel,” said Police prosecutor John Payne.
Payne described the allegations as “prolific” and said that there could be as many as 1,500 victims. This number has since risen to 1,800.
Following all three men applying for bail through the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court, their respective defence lawyers were “ambushed” with an abundance of serious federal conspiracy charges, as well as 76 counts concerning the use of stealing and using credit cards to buy items.
Depending on whether police can supply the courts with extensive documentation on the allegations, the three men may be released on bail. Their lawyers say that this documentation has not yet been provided.
Court documents as per The Advertiser currently say that the three men allegedly used credit cards to steal cash in five suburbs of Adelaide, namely Ingle Farm, Welland, Paralowie, Prospect and Salisbury Downs, which alone was the location of 16 allegations.
As investigators have been unable to provide said documentation, the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court has called for the withdrawal of the conspiracy charges.
Despite this, investigators are continuing to analyse the case and piece it together.
Prosecutor Gary Phillips still holds hope that the charges be re-laid, citing the case as a “significantly complex matter”.
“Police have seized a significant amount of computer and phone equipment.”
Chen’s defence lawyer, Grant Algie KC, told the court that the lack of evidence means that his client, who has no criminal history, is stuck in custody as a result of the prosecution’s delays.
He continued to say that the prosecution is failing to advise them on any new information and had said that he was learning about the case ongoing from the media.
“It’s all well and good to say this is a complex matter ... but of course, my client and Mr Algie’s client sit in custody while the prosecution move the chess pieces.”
Court Magistrate Jayanthi Pandya has given the prosecution seven days to provide the defence with the necessary information. Later in January, the court will reconvene to discuss bail.
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