December 6th 2024.
It has been reported that a significant amount of money has been taken from unsuspecting individuals in Western Australia. According to detectives, a group of four men used phishing scams to obtain personal information before going on a spending spree. Recently, police released footage of a 22-year-old man from Singara being taken into custody at Perth Airport, under heavy police guard, after being arrested on a Sydney flight on September 20th.
This individual is one of four people accused of orchestrating a phishing scam that targeted vulnerable Australians. These scams involve scammers pretending to be reputable companies or websites in order to deceive people into sharing sensitive information, often through a link provided by the scammers themselves. Cybersecurity expert Paul Haskell-Dowland explained that this is a very cheap and easy way for scammers to potentially make hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.
Police have alleged that this group posed as banks in order to trick their victims into sharing their personal details. The four men, from Sinagra to Morley, are facing a total of 70 charges, including fraud and theft. Detectives have revealed that the group spent over $300,000 over a two-week period between July and August of last year, using stolen bank details to make purchases through Apple Pay at various retailers in Perth. This prompted an investigation by the Australian Federal Police in September of last year.
All four suspects were arrested during statewide raids that took place between July and October of this year. These individuals include the 22-year-old man from Singara, 24-year-old Sam Joseph Wareing from Kallaroo, a 19-year-old man from Banksia Grove, and a 31-year-old man from Morley. Wareing was scheduled to appear in court today, but his lawyer stated that he was unwell and will enter a not guilty plea at a later date.
Last year, there were 109,000 reports of text scams, a 37% increase from the previous year. Phone call scams also drained $116 million, with elderly individuals being the most targeted. According to Haskell-Dowland, it used to be easier to identify scams by looking for poorly written emails or text messages, but scammers have become more sophisticated in their methods.
The advice is to always be cautious and never share personal information with anyone you do not trust. To stay updated on the latest news, sports, politics, and weather, you can download the 9News app on the Apple App Store or Google Play. With the app, you can receive notifications directly to your smartphone, ensuring that you stay informed at all times.
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