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The 21-year-old scammer stole the financial details of more than 100 people by pretending to be a telco representative.
A 21-year-old Pakistan national living in New South Wales will appear in Sydney Downing Centre Local Court today to face charges over his alleged role in a scam that impacted more than 100 Australians.
The man was arrested on November 27 following an investigation that began in March 2023, after telecommunications service providers alerted the AFP’s Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre to possible fraudulent activity.
The man allegedly called his victims and presented himself as a telecommunications provider representative, telling the victims they were either eligible for a device upgrade or that their mobile service was undergoing maintenance.
The alleged scammer would then send his victims a link for a one-time PIN authorisation, which he intercepted and used to purchase mobile devices on the victim’s account. The fraudulently obtained devices were sent to another address, and then sent offshore to be sold, the AFP alleges.
When the devices failed to show up at the victim’s addresses they contacted their telco regarding the suspicious activity.
Following the execution of a search warrant at the man’s Auburn home, AFP investigators found more than $1 million in cash, more than 500 SIM cards, and 21 devices ranging from laptops to mobile phones. The devices contained financial documents and credit card details.
“The JPC3 is committed to working with its law enforcement and industry partners to disrupt criminal activity and protect Australians from cybercrime. The successful arrest in this case is possible because of these partnerships,” AFP Commander Investigations Kate Ferry said in a statement.
“Scammers are becoming more sophisticated in their operations. Latest information from ScamWatch recorded almost 34,000 reports of phone scams in 2024, with losses to the Australian economy during this time estimated at more than $71 million.
“The consequence of scamming activity also has significant personal and health impact on victims.
“We encourage the Australian community to exercise a high degree of caution when receiving unexpected calls or messages from fake companies, even if they appear to be legitimate. If this occurs, you can hang up and call the company back via a trusted source, such as the company’s website, to verify the legitimacy of the request.”
Andrew Sheridan, Optus Vice President, Government and Regulatory said the telco was dedicated to fighting scammers.
“Working alongside the AFP and our telco colleagues during this investigation to apprehend scammers has ensured customers’ hard-earned cash remains in their pockets,” Sheridan said.
“It is a warning to other fraudsters to think twice about targeting Australian consumers.”
The man is charged with one count of dishonestly obtaining or dealing in personal financial information, and one count of dealing with money or property that was believed to be, proceeds of an indictable crime and at the time of the dealing the value of the money or property was $1,000,000 or more.
If found guilty of both offences the man could face up to 30 years in prison.
If you are a victim of cybercrime, report it to police using the report button via the Australian Cyber Security Centre website.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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