Australian police charged a man residing in suburban Sydney on Wednesday for allegedly sending 17 million scam text messages, roughly one for each adult in the country. The 39-year-old, whose identity remains undisclosed, is accused of being the sole perpetrator behind the widespread scam texts affecting mobile phone users nationwide.
The fraudulent messages purported to be from entities such as Australia Post or toll road operators feature fake links. The suspect allegedly utilized “SIM boxes,” capable of sending thousands of messages daily. The individual has been charged with using networked equipment to “commit a serious offense” and was granted bail.
Jason Smith, the commander of the police Cybercrime Squad, highlighted the prevalence of SMS phishing as a common tactic employed by scammers to extract banking and personal information from victims. He explained that SIM boxes can hold over 250 active SIM cards and can send out up to 150,000 messages per day, encompassing phishing lures for various scams.
