A man was recently sentenced for his role in a scam in which perpetrators impersonated government employees – including claiming to be from the AFP – and defrauded Australians of over $153,000.
This has been followed by AFP investigators obtaining an arrest warrant for the alleged orchestrator of the scam, 29, for money laundering offences. It will be alleged he was the architect of the scam and directed individuals before departing Australia for India. Enquiries into his location are ongoing.
An Indian national, 28, was sentenced by the Downing Centre District Court on 20 October, 2023, after pleading guilty to three money laundering charges:
- Two counts of dealing with proceeds of crime – money or property worth $10,000 or more – contrary to section 400.6 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth); and
- One count of dealing with proceeds of crime – money or property worth $1,000 or more – contrary to section 400.7 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The man was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and immediately released upon entering a Recognizance Release Order, to serve his sentence in the community as long as he remains of good behaviour.
A second man, also 28, will be sentenced by Downing Centre District Court on 9 February, 2024, for his role in the scam.
The investigation began after a victim contacted the AFP in October 2021 to verify their contact with alleged officials from Services Australia and the AFP.
Subsequent AFP inquiries found the syndicate allegedly called victims and fraudulently impersonated employees from public service agencies and the AFP.
The call numbers were allegedly ‘spoofed’ to display legitimate contact numbers of government agencies and victims were informed they were the subject of identity theft, with multiple bank accounts created in their name.
The 11 victims identified by the AFP, aged between 50 and 90, were told they had the option to be arrested for money laundering offences or settle the matter by providing identity information, funds and bank details to the ‘government employee’ on the phone.
By choosing the latter option, victims were allegedly instructed to pay the syndicate through a variety of methods. One method included in-store gift card purchases, which allegedly racked up $30,000 for the syndicate.
The syndicate allegedly employed numerous money laundering techniques to obfuscate the movement and source of funds. The 28-year-old man sentenced in October was found to have acted as a courier and collected bank cards, personal identity information such as Medicare and ID cards, and cash from victims.
The man then withdrew money and made purchases with the victims’ bank cards, deposited money obtained into his own bank account, and transferred money to the syndicate.
AFP Detective Sergeant Matthew Veraguth said the offending in this matter was calculated to deceive honest and hardworking Australians.
“Scammers take advantage of peoples’ trust in authorities and fear of doing the wrong thing, and it’s terrible that members of our community have had this trust exploited at significant financial loss,” Det-Sgt Veraguth said.
“The AFP will never seek money over the phone or in person, much less to ‘settle’ criminal offences. The AFP is not a payment collection agency, and any request for money or access to bank accounts is an indicator of fraud.
“If you are contacted by someone claiming to be an AFP officer, ask for their name and badge number – they must provide this to you. Hang up immediately and call the AFP Switchboard on (02) 5126 0000 to verify the information they have provided you.”
“Being asked to purchase gift cards is another tell-tale sign you might be scammed. Scammers use this method as it’s an easy way to move money and pocket the cash.”
AFP-led Taskforce AVARUS combines resources from AUSTRAC, ABF and the ACIC to target money laundering syndicates that enable transnational serious and organised crime groups.
If you have suffered any financial loss as the result of fraud, report it immediately via the Scamwatch website.
