A Victorian man was sentenced by the Melbourne County Court on 14 May, 2026, after pleading guilty to stealing mobile phone numbers from unsuspecting victims of identity theft.
The Lynbrook man, 35, was sentenced to two years and two months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 12 months.
He had previously pleaded guilty to:
- Nine counts of cause unauthorised access, modification or impairment of data with intention to commit or facilitate the commission of a serious offence, contrary to section 477.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth). One count of obtain financial advantage by deception, contrary to section 82(1) of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic).
- One count of deal in identification information, contrary to section 372.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of possess identification information, contrary to section 372.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The man came to police attention in July, 2024, after an Australian telecommunications company alerted the AFP to multiple attempts to port mobile phone numbers to its network using potentially stolen identification information.
Porting scams involve the transfer of an unsuspecting identity theft victim's mobile number to a device or SIM card controlled by a scammer. The scammer can then bypass multi-factor authentication settings to access bank accounts and other sensitive information.
The AFP and the telecommunications company examined more than 190 suspicious porting attempts, with AFP cybercrime investigators subsequently identifing 193 'port-in' attempts against 86 mobile numbers registered with different networks.
The AFP worked to identify victims and those affected and found 44 were ported without the rightful owners' consent.
AFP Detective Superintendent Bernard Geason said today's outcome highlighted how far scammers would go to try to bypass security settings and access people's personal data.
"Mobile phones are an integral part of our modern lives, but they have become a valuable target for scammers," Det Supt Geason said.
"I urge people to be alert to unexpected text messages from your mobile service provider saying 'you' have requested your number be ported to a different network provider. This could indicate a scammer is trying to port your phone.
"Alternatively, if your mobile phone service is suddenly disconnected, or shows 'SOS only', this could also be a warning sign your number has been transferred to another provider without your authorisation.
"If you believe you have been the victim of an unauthorised porting attempt, it's critical to contact your mobile phone provider immediately, as well as your bank to take steps to put a freeze or hold on banking transfers and cancel any potentially affected cards.
"Finally, report the incident to ReportCyber so authorities can identify incidents that may be linked, and help prevent other people from becoming victims.
"I also thank the dedicated men and women of the AFP who continue to work tirelessly against a rising tide of scammers to keep Australians safe against the threats of greed and self-interest."
