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HomeCRIME & PUNISHMENTCYBERCRIMEPakistani Fraudster Found with $1m Cash, 500 SIM Cards Arrested for Scamming...

Pakistani Fraudster Found with $1m Cash, 500 SIM Cards Arrested for Scamming 100 Australians

A Pakistan national residing in New South Wales is expected to appear in the Sydney Downing Centre Local Court today after being charged for his alleged role in illegally acquiring the personal financial details of more than 100 Australians, which he then used to obtain hundreds of high-end mobile devices fraudulently.

The man, 21, was arrested on Wednesday following an AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) investigation involving Australian law enforcement and telecommunications providers Optus and TPG Telecom.

The investigation began in March 2023 after service providers alerted the JPC3 to the alleged fraudulent activity.

It will be alleged in court that dozens of Australian victims of the scam reported being contacted by a caller purporting to be a telecommunications service representative.

The victims were allegedly advised their mobile service was under maintenance and/or offered discounts on a new mobile device.

The offender allegedly advised the victims they could upgrade their mobile devices and were then sent a one-time PIN for authorisation, which the offender allegedly intercepted.

This PIN was allegedly used to enable the purchase of a mobile phone or tablet on the customer’s account, often with the victim’s saved payment details, before having it delivered to an alternate address. It will be alleged the mobile devices were then sent offshore for resale.

When victims did not receive their upgraded mobile device, they became suspicious and contacted their telecommunications service provider.

Investigators linked the man to the illegal activity, identifying more than 100 victims in Australia. AFP investigators executed a search warrant at the man’s home in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn yesterday. They allegedly found over $1 million in cash, over 500 SIM cards, and 21 electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones, which contained credit cards and financial documentation.

The man was arrested and charged with one count of dishonestly obtaining or dealing in personal financial information, contrary to section 480.4 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is five years’ imprisonment 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, contrary to s400.3(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years’ imprisonment.

AFP Commander Investigations Kate Ferry said the joint law enforcement and telecommunication services effort during this investigation was critical to disrupting this complex illegal activity.

“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,” Commander Ferry said. “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.”

Optus Vice-President of Government and Regulatory Andrew Sheridan said Optus was committed to fighting the battle against scammers trying to steal money from hardworking Australians.

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