A 35-year-old man from the Melbourne suburb of Lynbrook has been sentenced to two years and two months in jail after pleading guilty to stealing phone numbers from victims of identity theft scams.
An Australian telco reported suspicious activity to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) after noting multiple attempts to port mobile phone numbers to its network, with personal details that were possibly stolen.
The telco and the AFP investigated more than 190 porting attempts, with 193 subsequently identified as “port-in” attempts targeting 86 numbers across multiple networks.
During its investigation, the AFP determined that 44 numbers were ported without their owners’ consent, potentially allowing the perpetrator to bypass multifactor authentication and subsequently access sensitive information such as bank account details.
“Mobile phones are an integral part of our modern lives, but they have become a valuable target for scammers,” AFP Detective Superintendent Bernard Geason said in a statement.
“I urge people to be alert to unexpected text messages from your mobile service provider saying ‘you’ have requested your number be ported to a different network provider. This could indicate a scammer is trying to port your phone.
“Alternatively, if your mobile phone service is suddenly disconnected, or shows ‘SOS only’, this could also be a warning sign your number has been transferred to another provider without your authorisation.”
The perpetrator had previously pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Nine counts of causing unauthorised access, modification or impairment of data with intention to commit or facilitate the commission of a serious offence.
- One count of obtaining financial advantage by deception.
- One count of dealing in identification information.
- One count of possessing identification information.
“If you believe you have been the victim of an unauthorised porting attempt, it’s critical to contact your mobile phone provider immediately, as well as your bank, to take steps to put a freeze or hold on banking transfers and cancel any potentially affected cards.
“Finally, report the incident to ReportCyber so authorities can identify incidents that may be linked, and help prevent other people from becoming victims,” Superintendent Geason said.
“I also thank the dedicated men and women of the AFP who continue to work tirelessly against a rising tide of scammers to keep Australians safe against the threats of greed and self-interest.”
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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.