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The scammer was arrested as part of an international takedown operation against online cyber crime platform LabHost.
A 21-year-old Melbourne man was sentenced last week after being found guilty of fraudulently gaining the personal details of 11 Australian victims and defrauding two of them out of $34,000, all as part of a phishing campaign empowered by an international cyber crime website.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation and the man’s subsequent arrest were part of an international operation to disrupt and dismantle the LabHost cyber crime platform.
LabHost, taken down in April 2024, allegedly sold itself as a “one-stop-shop” for all things phishing. The platform allowed users to replicate the websites of over 170 trusted brands, such as banks and government agencies, in order to swindle victims out of their personal information or banking and financial data.
The AFP’s Joint Policing Cyber Crime Coordination Centre investigation led to more than 200 investigators around Australia executing 22 search warrants, which resulted in the arrests of two men, including the 21-year-old Melbourne man.
In addition, 207 criminal servers were also taken down.
“The AFP has proven experience in working side-by-side with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to take the fight to any type of criminal, or cyber criminal, who targets Australians,” AFP Detective Acting Inspector Kris Wilson said in a statement late last week.
“Cyber criminals will use any tools and tricks to exploit people for their own profit – in this case, it is mimicking trusted websites to swindle a significant sum of money.
“We urge Australians to be wary of phishing scams and ‘think before they click’ – take your time when reading text messages and emails, look out for strange letters or symbols in hyperlinks and avoid any deal that seems too good to be true.”
The Melbourne man pleaded guilty to six charges and was sentenced to pay a $34,990 compensation order, as well as an 18-month community corrections order comprising 200 hours of community service. The man was also sentenced to three months’ imprisonment to be served as a good behaviour order under a recognisance release order.
If you believe you are a victim of a phishing scam, or see any discrepancies in your bank account, please contact your bank and report the matter to Report Cyber.
If there is an immediate threat to life or risk of harm, call 000.
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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