Melbourne Man Sentenced for Involvement with Cyber Scam and Swindling $35,000

A 21-year-old Melbourne man has been sentenced in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to seven charges linked to his involvement with a cybercrime platform. The court ordered him to pay $34,990 in compensation for fraud-related offences. 

The man was a user of LabHost, a now-defunct cybercrime platform taken down in April 2024. Marketed as a "one-stop-shop" for phishing, LabHost enabled cybercriminals to fraudulently replicate over 170 websites of reputable banks, government entities and other major organizations. The platform was used to deceive unsuspecting victims into believing these websites were legitimate and revealing sensitive personal information through fraudulent account login prompts sent via text messages and emails.

The platform was dismantled in an international takedown involving an Australian-based operation coordinated by the Australian Federal Police-led Joint Policing Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (JPC3). More than 200 investigators executed 22 search warrants across five states, resulting in the seizure of 207 criminal servers and charges against two men for cybercrime offences, including the Melbourne man.

Investigators revealed that the Melbourne man had obtained the personal details of 11 victims, such as birthdates, addresses, and phone numbers, via a phishing scam. He then used the stolen information from two victims to steal $34,990. Following his arrest, investigators uncovered messages on an encrypted platform containing images of multiple victims' personal information, including Medicare cards, passports, taxation notices, and credit card details.

AFP Detective Acting Inspector Kris Wilson said: "Cybercriminals will use any tools and tricks to exploit people for their own profit – in this case, it is mimicking trusted websites to swindle a significant sum of money." He urged Australians to remain vigilant against phishing scams and think before they click. “Take your time when reading text messages and emails, look out for strange letters or symbols in hyperlinks and avoid any deal that seems too good to be true,” he warned.