A 39-year-old man who allegedly sent 17 million scam text messages to his living room using a specially designed machine has been arrested following a dramatic police raid.
Detectives from the cybercrime team broke down the door of a home in Moorebank, western Sydney, on Tuesday morning following an investigation into the use of SIM boxes.
SIM boxes are electronic devices that can hold more than 250 active SIM cards and can send 150,000 fake text messages per day.
Police claim two active SIM boxes, an EFTPOS machine, a number of SIM cards and electronics were discovered at the property.
A 39-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sending more than 17 million scam messages
Police seized two SIM boxes from the man's house early Tuesday morning
The 39-year-old was placed in handcuffs and taken to Liverpool police station.
He was charged with using network-connected equipment to commit a serious crime.
The man was granted conditional bail and will appear at Liverpool Local Court on January 17.
In the scam texts, the man claimed to be from a range of companies, including Australia Post and toll company Linkt.
Former digital forensics police officer Michael Heikkilae explained that scammers often pose as members of well-known organizations.
“They will send links from regular Australian companies like Australia Post or banks and the idea is to create a sense of urgency in clicking the link or providing information,” he told A Current Affair on Wednesday.
Police claim the man's scheme cost Australians millions of dollars.
Police have warned Australians in the run-up to Christmas of the dangers of phishing attacks claiming to be text messages from reputable institutions.
'As we enter the final run-up to Christmas, many people are expecting online deliveries; but under no circumstances should you ever click on a link you receive in a text message or email,” said Cyber Squad Commander Detective Acting Inspector Jason Smith.
During a search of the man's home, the police found a number of SIM cards
An image of one of the scam text messages the man allegedly sent in an attempt to trick people into handing over money
'Scammers often pose as employees of a reputable company or financial institution, so even if it is a company you do business with regularly, it is safer to independently log into that company's website to check your account.
'Legitimate companies will never call or text customers to ask for confidential information. Always be suspicious when you receive such requests.'
According to Scam Watch, Australians lost $92 million to scams in the year to September 30.
The most reported scams were toll scams, with over 19,000 reports, and government scams with over 17,000 reports.
The most common delivery method for scams is via text message, followed by email.