Police have arrested four people after customers’ details were collected by a call centre worker and sold.
St George police stopped a car for a random-breath test at Beverly Hills on Saturday, June 20, and found fake documents.
Investigators matched the items with fraud acts against banking customers which a financial institution had reported to police.
A joint investigation by St George police and the Fraud and Cybercrime Squad found that customers’ details, including banking information, passwords and personal details, were collected by an employee at a call centre used by the financial institution in the Philippines.
The information was sold to a Sydney-based syndicate who used it to make withdrawals and purchases using customers’ accounts and new credit cards in the victims’ names.
Police said the fraud totalled more than $1 million.
Officers searched homes in Liverpool and West Hoxton at 6.30am today, July 2, and four men were arrested and taken to Liverpool police station.
A Liverpool man, 38, was charged with an intent to defraud by a false and misleading statement, two counts of dealing with identification information and three counts of using a false document to obtain financial advantage.
A Liverpool man, 23, was charged with taking part in a criminal group and 44 counts of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
A Carnes Hill man, 33, was charged with taking part in a criminal group, 46 counts of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of a crime and 26 counts of dealing with identification information.
A Carnes Hill man, 29, was charged with taking part in a criminal group and 35 counts of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of a crime.
They were refused bail to appear tomorrow, July 3, in Parramatta Local Court.
St George superintendent, Dave Donohue, praised investigating officers.
“I congratulate those officers for their initiative in searching the vehicle and linking the items found with the reports made by the financial institution,” he said.
“Their proactive work has played a critical role in the dismantling of a syndicate targeting unsuspecting banking customers and has prevented, potentially, many more potential victims from significant financial loss.”
Fraud and Cybercrime Squad commander, Detective Acting Superintendent John Watson, said the operation highlighted the importance of businesses working with police to stamp out fraud offences.
“Our corporate corruption unit’s work targeting corporate crime relies heavily on assistance by businesses and the results demonstrate that relationship working as it should,” he said.
“I thank that business for its assistance and urge other NSW businesses with suspected information about a crime to report it to police.”