A North Queensland man, Jiahui Liu, 30, has been remanded in custody for allegedly sending millions of fraudulent text messages in an attempt to steal personal identity information. Liu, who is accused of using a SIM box to send between four and five million fake messages, appeared in the Townsville Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The false messages, which appeared to be from trusted organizations such as Centrelink, Medicare, Australia Post, and the Commonwealth Bank, directed victims to fake websites, as part of a large-scale phishing scam.
Authorities arrested Liu after raiding an address in the Townsville suburb of Aitkenvale, where police seized a SIM box and over 1,200 SIM cards. The equipment is believed to have been used between March and June of this year to facilitate the scam.
Liu faces charges of possessing equipment for the purpose of obtaining identity information. The court is currently arranging for a Mandarin translator to assist with the proceedings.
Detective Chief Inspector Vince Byrnes of the Cybercrimes squad emphasized the ongoing crackdown on identity theft and urged any potential victims to come forward. “Offenders who facilitate sending these types of text messages and emails will remain a focus of our investigations,” he stated.
The police are encouraging the public to stay vigilant and verify any requests for online payments to avoid falling victim to similar scams. Liu is scheduled to reappear in court on Friday.