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The Australian Federal Police has reported that it made a sixth arrest over a global, “cyber-enabled investment scam”.
The man – arrested in Burwood – is the sixth Chinese national arrested over the matter. The AFP executed a search warrant on Tuesday, 15 August, and seized a number of electronic devices and boxes of “tobacco products”.
The AFP will allege that the man was operating a number of bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets to move money offshore, quite likely in a money laundering operation. The accounts were created under the names of Samoans in Australia under temporary working visas, though they were probably not aware of what the accounts were being used for, despite being paid a “nominal” fee for their trouble.
The most recent arrest comes after the man was caught using the compromised accounts on CCTV.
The AFP was alerted to the existence of the operation by the United States Secret Service, which discovered links to Australia during the course of an investigation into a largely US-based scam operation.
AFP Detective Superintendent Tim Stainton said the operation is a perfect example of social engineering being used to trick people into making dodgy investments.
“The number of people falling victim to these types of cyber-enabled scams continues to grow on a daily basis, and it is essential that the Australian community exercises the utmost caution if approached online, in person, or on the phone by anyone trying to use any component of their identity to assist the activities of organised crime syndicates,” Detective Superintendent Stainton said in a statement.
“I encourage all members of the public to exercise a high degree of caution when approached or engaged by unknown entities on the internet or over online communication platforms in relation to investment opportunities or any other type of opportunity. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.”
The man will face court in September 2023.
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.
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