Quynh Khac Nguyen hit with additional allegation after OutABox cybersecurity online personal security breach

Police uncovered a trove of personal information and found a million Australians at risk following a probe into a Sydney man’s alleged blackmail campaign in a statewide ClubsNSW data breach.

Police uncovered a trove of personal information and found a million Australians at risk following an investigation into a Sydney man’s alleged blackmail campaign in a statewide ClubsNSW data breach.

Quynh Khac Nguyen, 46, has now been hit with an additional charge following his arrest in Fairfield.

Police were alerted to a website which had published the personal information of NSW residents on May 2.

The addresses, phone numbers and date of birth of more than a million people collected by Australian-based tech company OutABox from pubs and clubs across the state are believed to have been shared with a third-party contractor, according to police.

The alleged breach led to crucial personal data emerging online at haveibeenoutaboxed.com in a major cyber leak.

Nguyen’s matter was heard at Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday, where he was initially charged with demanding with menaces intending to obtain gain or cause loss.

Quynh Khac Nguyen was charged with blackmail over alleged data breach.

The prosecution asked for a three-month adjournment as there were “17 victim agencies” involved in the case.

“I understand it’s data fraud and it’s going to take some time to go through all the data and collect all the evidence,” a prosecutor told the court.

Police then charged Nguyen with a second offence – dealing with identification information to commit, facilitate or commission an indictable offence.

Court documents allege Nguyen made “unwarranted demands with menaces toward Outabox Pty Ltd with intent to cause a financial loss”.

It’s also alleged he dealt with identification information, including signatures and club membership records, with the intention to commit blackmail.

After a brief adjournment, the prosecution requested for the matter to be adjourned for two weeks for police to speak with investigators.

The prosecution wanted to determine whether additional charges would be laid and whether the case would remain in the Fairfield court.

Police arrested Nguyen in May in Fairfield. Picture: NSW Police

Magistrate Stuart Devine adjourned to July 3 in the same court.

Outside court, Commander of the Cybercrime Squad, Detective Acting Superintendent Gillian Lister, reminded people to check their personal cyber security.

“Now is the optimal time to make sure your cyber hygiene is good – you have strong passwords and are using two-factor authentication where possible,” she said.

“If you think your details may have been compromised, use extra caution when reviewing emails or texts and never click on a suspicious or unfamiliar link.”

In a statement, Outabox previously told this publication it was “aware and responding to a cyber incident potentially involving some personal information’’.

“We have been in communication with a group of our clients to inform them and outline our strategy to respond,” they wrote.

“Due to the ongoing Australian police investigation, we are not able to provide further information at this time.”