NSW man charged over SMS phishing scam

Police say the two were part of an Australian-based fraud syndicate working to steal identities and money from thousands of victims through a sophisticated SMS scheme.

They posed as Australian banks and telecommunications companies, misleading victims into clicking on URLs and providing personal or financial account information, police say.

Using SIM boxes capable of sending tens of thousands of text messages at a time, the group fleeced 45 customers from one bank alone.

"One Australian bank identified more than 700 of its customers had received fraudulent text messages with approximately $37,000 stolen from one account and approximately $20,000 from another account," AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Tom Walker said on Tuesday.

One telecommunications provider identified more than 49,000 messages sent to customers in one week.

Federal and NSW police searched properties in Burwood and Macquarie Park in September, seizing nine SIM boxes, hundreds of SIM cards and multiple electronic devices, including mobiles, laptops and hard drives.

Fake ID documents, over $50,000 in cash, a money counter, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were also seized.

At the time, AFP Cybercrime Commander Chris Goldsmid said the sophistication and scale of the attacks was extreme.

"This fraud syndicate had absolutely no regard for the hardworking Australians they stole from, victims who may be struggling since the bushfires and COVID-19 hit the nation," he said in a statement.

A 50-year-old from Macquarie Park was charged with a string of offences in September and a 36-year-old Burwood man was re-arrested and charged on Monday.

He will face Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday charged with using a telecommunications network with the intention to commit fraud, trafficking methamphetamine and recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Australian Associated Press