In Sydney and Brisbane, five foreign nationals have been charged with travelling to Australia to set up ATM card skimmers in order to steal money and create fictitious bank cards.

Five Romanian nationals were charged by the United States Secret Service (USSS) in May 2023, and it is claimed that they are connected to the alleged international crime syndicate.

On Saturday, August 5, 2023, a man, 33, and a woman, 32, both of Romanian descent, appeared in Parramatta Local Court charged with:

• Producing a document, knowing the document was false or misleading and that the document was produced or purportedly produced under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act/Regulations/Rules, contrary to Section 137 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth);

• Possession, making or providing false foreign travel documents, contrary to Section 22 of the Foreign Passports (Law Enforcement and Security) Act 2005; and

• Possession or control of thing with intent to dishonestly obtain or deal in personal financial information, contrary to section 480.5 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

They are facing a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

They are next due in court on 25 October 2023.

AFP Detective Superintendent Tim Stainton statement.

A Romanian national, 37 and a Polish national, 21, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on 4 August 2023 charged with:

• Two counts of possessing equipment for the purpose of committing/facilitating the commission of an offence against section 408D, contrary to section 408D(1A) of the Queensland Criminal Code 1899 (Qld); and

• One count each of obtaining or dealing with identification information and obstruct police, contrary to sections 408D and 340 of the Queensland Criminal Code 1899 (Qld).

They are facing a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.

They are next due in court on 6 September 2023.

An additional Romanian national, 34, has been charged with two counts of possessing equipment for purpose of committing/facilitating the commission of an offence and obtaining or dealing with identification information.

He is facing a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment.

He is next due in Brisbane Magistrates Court on August 23.

In May 2023, the USSS arrested five Romanian nationals who were allegedly targeting individuals in the US who were receiving welfare benefits via Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.  

The alleged offenders installed ATM skimmers to clone the victim’s EBT card details and PINs. It is also alleged that at the beginning of each month the syndicate re-encoded the cloned bank cards to visit ATMs and withdraw the newly loaded funds.  

During a search of one of the alleged offenders, US authorities found a receipt for a consignment sent to Australia.

The AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) began investigating the alleged organised crime syndicate in June 2023 after receiving a report from the USSS about the consignment.

JPC3 investigations identified that alleged syndicate members were operating in Australia and had allegedly received a number of suspicious packages believed to contain ATM skimmers sent from the United Kingdom, China and the US.

It is alleged one of the men used multiple fake identities to open bank accounts, subscribe to telecommunication services, and book short-term accommodation.

On Friday, 4 August 2023, the AFP and NSW Police executed a search warrant at a short-term rental property in Rhodes in Sydney’s inner west.

Police seized $12,935 in cash; multiple skimming devices; false identity documents, including passports, bank cards in other people’s names; electronic devices, card readers, sim cards and hand held electrical tools.

Through the JPC3’s collaboration with National Australia Bank and Queensland Police Service (QPS), the AFP identified a faction of the syndicate as allegedly operating in Brisbane.

The JPC3 and QPS identified an ATM location the syndicate would likely attend.

On 3 August, 2023, QPS Financial and Cyber Crime Group detectives observed the 37 year-old man and 21-year-old man approach the ATM and were subsequently arrested.

Officers executed a search warrant on an Upper Mount Gravatt property the following day (4 August, 2023) where they arrested the 34-year-old man.  

AFP Detective Superintendent Tim Stainton said the AFP, through the JPC3, worked tirelessly with partners to identify and charge members of the alleged organised crime syndicate.

“Australia remains a lucrative target for cybercriminals and in this digital age, we know that personal data has become incredibly valuable to criminals,’’ Det-Supt Stainton said.

"The AFP and our law enforcement partners will charge criminals who steal from hard-working Australians and bring offenders before the courts.

“This investigation is a great example of the work the JPC3 does. The collaboration between the USSS, banks and state and territory police partners has prevented cyber criminals from scamming, stealing and defrauding innocent Australians.” 

US Secret Service Attaché for Australia and New Zealand, Ike Barnes said this investigation highlighted how collaboration between international law enforcement partners enabled the disruption of transnational organized criminal groups that target innocent citizens.

“The Secret Service is proud to partner with the Australian Federal Police, the New South Wales Police Force, and the Queensland Police Services to investigate and pursue cases of cybercrime,” Mr Barnes said.

The JPC3 is a partnership between the AFP, Australian State policing agencies, foreign law enforcement, government and the private sector that was established in March 2022 to effectively combat cybercrime impacting Australians.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Matthew Craft, Commander of State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad said collaboration with our partner agencies was key to success in cybercrime investigations.

“This investigation demonstrates the ability of law enforcement to quickly share information nationally – and internationally – to ultimately stop alleged offenders,” Det Supt Craft said.

“The examination of these exhibits will also certainly allow police to improve our targeting of this type of offending in future investigations.”

QPS Financial and Cyber Crime Group Commander, Detective Superintendent Craig McGrath said these arrests were an example of the QPS’ commitment to disrupt and prevent organised crime, and the impact it has on the community.

“This investigation has stopped alleged scammers from defrauding unsuspecting members of the public, and I applaud all investigators from across jurisdictions in the prompt collaboration that put these men before the court,” Detective Superintendent McGrath said.

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✍️ Cyber Job Corner ✍️

Cyber Security Architect (newly created, permanent position) - Flex/Hybrid/WFH within Australia

Flybuys · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

• We have a created a new permanent role in our Security team to add further capacity on top of all the growth we've experienced in recent years. Join a big-name brand with a big investment in Security, new tech, ambitious program, large initiatives with big name partners.This requirement will suit you if you're more of a generalist who loves mentoring and has good exposure to identity and access management.About Us:We’re known for being the country’s most popular rewards program with over 8 million active members. And through our extended network of partnerships with other nationally recognised brands, we make every day worth more for our Aussie members.But, we're more than the card you carry around in your wallet or the app on your phone! With over 300 team members and growing, we have amazing office spaces in Sydney and Melbourne. Staying true to our flexible working policy and people-centric culture, we ensure all our team members are set up to work remotely across Australia. We are outcomes-focused, and everything we do is aligned with our core values - Be United, Be Relevant, Be Passionate, Be Generous, and Doing the Right Thing.Your Team:Our amazing Security Team have put in a lot of work over the past couple of years to lay the foundations for further growth. We've more than doubled our Security team, so we're not looking for more of the same. Our day-to-day is made stronger when we surround ourselves with people who are different, like you.We work really hard to build teams that support each other. It’s the kind of environment you’ll miss while you’re on holidays.We’ve made a big investment in security. This is your chance to join an expanding team, be part of an exciting journey and influence the direction of the Security team overall.Your Role:This is yet another newly created role here at Flybuys which means you can make it your own and really leave a legacy.You'll get to work on all the new tech we've implemented. This team collaborate with the entire technical and Architecture department giving you access to exciting projects.We work in a Cloud Native environment, so you’ll get to work with the latest technologies (we have no on-premise technology!).There is no typical working week at Flybuys. But here are some of the things you might be working on, day-to-day;Your Ideal Skills & Experience:Your Benefits:We offer our valued team members a stack of exclusive benefits! To name a few:Your Time to Fly!So, whether you’re an early bird list maker, a night owl coder, a brainstorm chaser or a PowerPoint proof-reader, we want you to Be You, With Us. We value ways of working that work for everyone and use our different strengths to make us stronger. We work hard to make sure everyone’s voice is heard and respected equally, regardless of identity, background, position, ability or lifestyle.It is a condition of employment that successful applicants undergo a National Police Check prior to commencing.APPLY HERE

  • Data security - Cloud (AWS, Azure) and corporate technologies across Flybuys

  • Maintain the security, confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability of the business by ensuring security is "baked in" and not added on later

  • Collaborate with, and facilitate stakeholder groups to understand functional and non-functional requirements

  • Work with architecture team to ensure current and new architectures mitigate any risks posed by new technologies and business practices

  • Ensure information systems comply with legislation, regulation and relevant standards

  • Conduct security risk assessments, exposure analysis, and business impact analysis on complex information systems

  • Collaborate with specialists and domain experts (such as security engineers) to identify, document, classify and prioritise risks using the Flybuys risk management process

  • Provide advice and guidance on security strategies to manage the identified risks including mitigation actions with key stakeholders

  • Identifying appropriate cloud services to secure solution components and evaluate the effectiveness of current/planned defences or mitigation controls

  • Collaborate on security architecture designs and patterns

  • Contribute to the development of information security policy, standards and guidelines

  • Obtain and assess vulnerability information to support risk ranking

  • Determine and document architecturally significant security decisions

  • Several years’ proven experience in Cloud Security (Solid experience and knowledge of AWS and Azure Cloud platforms)

  • Strong knowledge of identity and access management

  • Security solution architecture for SaaS applications

  • Risk management

  • Consulting with various types of stakeholders, both technical and non-technical

  • Experience with industry standards, including, NIST SP800-53, NIST CSF,

  • Cloud Security Alliance, SOC2, ISO 27001

  • Security Dev Ops, Security CI/CD design

  • Reading and understanding vulnerability assessments and penetration test reports

  • Passionate about following Zero Trust processes

  • Have or actively studying for SABSA, CISSP, CISA, CISM, AWS Security or other security industry certification  

  • Event driven architecture experience

  • Flybuysflex | work from anywhere in Australia

  • Two well-being days per year!

  • Volunteer leave

  • Ongoing learning & development programs and opportunities

  • My Coles and Wesfarmers team member discount card

  • Be Well Programs – Mind/Body/Soul

  • Quarterly All Team events

  • Hybrid social events

  • New starter kit merchandise 

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