A man has been charged after investigators uncovered an alleged elaborate phone scam, seizing almost $30,000.
In June 2021, detectives attached to Cumberland Police Area Command established Strike Force Crago to investigate reports several people had received a call from someone purporting to be from a law enforcement agency or financial institution, demanding money or gift-cards under the threat of violence or arrest.
As part of inquiries, detectives identified a post office box in Granville which was allegedly being used to facilitate the scam and arrested a 41-year-old man attempting to access the mailbox yesterday (Friday 29 October 2021).
Investigators executed a search warrant, seizing a shoe box containing $25,000 cash. A warrant was also executed at the man’s home on Boundary Street, seizing an additional $4,900 and document relevant to their investigation.
The man was taken to Parramatta Police Station where he was charged with two counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime.
He was granted conditional bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court on Thursday 13 January 2022.
Police would like to use this incident to remind the public to take the following precautions to reduce the risk of being scammed by cold-callers:
*If you receive a threatening phone call (and demanding money), hang up immediately;
*Do not disclose personal details to the caller;
*Never provide your personal or banking details to a person who calls you;
*Never provide your financial PIN or account passwords to anyone;
*Do not make any payments to the caller, either via phone, internet, or cash;
*If you are suspicious about the credentials of a person on the phone, ask questions of them. If they avoid answering or refuse to provide information, hang up;
*Don’t let scammers pressure you – scammers use detailed scripts to convince you that they’re the real deal and create a high-pressure situation to make a decision on the spot;
*If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately; and
*Contact police immediately to report the incident.
To find out more information about scams or to find out other ways to protect yourself, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.
If you have been the victim of a scam, you can report it to local police or to the ACCC online at the ‘SCAMwatch report a scam’ page or by calling 1300 795 995.
