Australian police have charged three individuals following an investigation into a $600,000 email scam operation.
A woman and two men were charged on 14 May by NSW Police Cybercrime Squad detectives following a joint investigation with the AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) under Strike Force Downstream.
JPC3 analysts and industry partners – themselves operating under JPC3 Operation Dolos – found evidence earlier in the month of a 20-year-old woman allegedly purchasing $100,000 worth of gold bullion on five occasions over two weeks.
The National Australia Bank provided evidence to the investigators, which led to the conclusion that the funds being used in the purchase were the proceeds of a business email compromise (BEC) scam.
The 20-year-old woman was arrested at a Sydney gold dealership, alongside two men, aged 36 and 29. Police seized $34,000 in cash and several mobile phones from the group’s car.
Detective Superintendent Matt Craft, Commander of State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad, said the operation illustrated the benefits of coordinated policing.
“The success of this investigation shows how effective we can be when agencies and industry partners operate side by side,” Superintendent Craft said.
“The partnerships within the JPC3 give us the capability to identify threats early, act decisively, and protect the community from complex cyber-enabled crime.”
AFP Superintendent Marie Andersson added that the operation proved the importance of industry partnerships when detecting BEC at an early stage.
“Timely information from the National Australia Bank was crucial in helping police identify this alleged criminal activity and act quickly to disrupt it and place people before the courts,” Superintendent Andersson said.
“About $300,000 of the funds allegedly stolen in this BEC scam have been recovered, and the JPC3 will continue working with our police, government and industry partners to alleviate the impact these types of scams have on our community.”
After their arrest, the three were taken to Surry Hills Police Station, where the woman was charged with recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime >$5,000 and participating in a criminal group contributing criminal activity; the 29-year-old man was charged with two counts of dealing with property proceeds of crime <$100,000 and <$5,000, dealing with identity info to commit etc indictable offence, and participating in a criminal group contributing criminal activity.
The 36-year-old man was charged with dealing with identity info to commit etc indictable offence and participating in a criminal group contributing criminal activity.
The three were refused bail and will appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on 28 May 2026.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?Make Cyber Daily a preferred news source on Google.
David Hollingworth
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.