Detectives investigating phone porting and other technology-enabled crime have charged a woman with almost 200 counts of fraud, NSW Police say.
In July 2016, detectives from the Fraud and Cybercrime Squad established Strike Force Tamarisk to investigate the use of Host Card Emulation (HCE) via ‘Tap and Pay’ applications to make fraudulent purchases across Sydney.
HCE is the technology dependent architecture that provides the exact virtual representation of various electronic banking cards using software only.
Their inquiries identified a sophisticated organised group, who police will allege, had been porting mobile phones, compromising bank accounts through mobile applications, enabling the use of credit cards to purchase electronic and luxury goods, which are then on-sold.
About 1pm yesterday (4 July 2017), officers arrested a 27-year-old woman at a Corrective Services facility at Silverwater. She was subsequently charged with 190 fraud-related offences.
Police will allege in court the woman was part of a group using HCE to make fraudulent purchases totalling about $1.5 million. It is believed at least 45 bank accounts were compromised.
She was refused bail to appear at Central Local Court today.
To date, Strike Force Tamarisk investigators have arrested six people and laid more than 520 charges.
Investigations are ongoing.
Police are urging anyone with information about technology-enabled crime is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
