A man has been charged over his alleged role in organised identity theft and fraud syndicate operating out of Western Sydney.
In November 2018, detectives from the Cybercrime Squad established Strike Force Quinlan to investigate identity theft and fraudulent banking transactions.
The investigation focused on up to 70 account takeovers and subsequent fraudulent transactions totalling more than $100,000 between February and September 2018, which were reported to have used the same modus operandi.
Following extensive investigations, Strike Force Quinlan investigators, assisted by North West and South West Metropolitan Region Enforcement Squads, executed two search warrants at homes at Doonside and Granville, just after 7am yesterday (Tuesday 12 March 2019).
During the searches police seized mobile phones, electronic storage devices, laptops, identity documentation in the name of somebody other than a resident of the address, numerous luxury goods including men’s watches, boxes of electronic goods, clothing, banking records, and other documentation.
A 22-year-old man was arrested at the Doonside property and taken to Blacktown Police Station.
He was charged with four counts of unauthorised modification of data, two counts of recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime, deal with identity information with intent to commit an indictable offence, participate in criminal group, and attempted obtain benefit by deception.
Police will allege in court the syndicate operated by porting a victim’s mobile number to a new carrier, and then contacted a financial institution to reset account details and passwords and gain access. This was followed by registering the account for mobile pay applications to fraudulently purchase goods and transfer funds to overseas accounts.
The man was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Blacktown Local Court on Thursday 11 April 2019.
Cybercrime Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Matt Craft, said identity crimes are a multi-million dollar organised crime ‘business’, and phone porting is increasingly becoming a common enabler.
“Organised criminals seek to exploit vulnerabilities in systems for a financial advantage, and phone porting is an easily avoidable issue that enables broader criminal enterprise,” Det Supt Craft said.
“In 2019, a mobile phone is central to a person’s financial security. It contains important information and when compromised, it can be devastating.
“While it can be difficult for telecommunication companies to identify the legitimacy of a request to swap networks, as many elements of an identity takeover have already been undertaken, we are concerned about the financial and emotional impact on victims.
“Generally speaking, the first a victim will know that their identity is being taken over is losing signal on their mobile phone, and in many cases, by the time they work out what has happened, they’ve lost access to their bank accounts and other services.
“In the last 12 months, crimes enabled by phone porting have cost the community at least $10 million – and that is a conservative estimate based on what has actually been reported to police.
“While law enforcement agencies have been working closely with financial institutions to reduce the risk of frauds, we know more can be done and it’s time for all industries to put the interests of the people of NSW before profit,” Det Supt Craft said.
Investigations under Strike Force Quinlan are continuing, and further arrests are expected.
Anyone with information about in relation to the supply of prohibited drugs is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.
