Zakaria Omar: Banking trick used to rip off online sellers in Melbourne

A gang in Melbourne’s west used a banking hack to rip off online sellers by more than $40,000 in cars and goods.

Police have exposed how a gang in Melbourne’s west used a banking trick to rip off unsuspecting online sellers and steal cars and expensive items worth more than $40,000.

The four offenders stole three cars and two iPhones from victims in Burnside Heights, Braybrook, Fawkner and Werribee, over two weeks after they listed items on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree.

One of the men, Zakaria Omar, 19, faced Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Monday, pleading guilty to charges including theft of a motor vehicle, theft and robbery.

Prosecutors told the court the group contacted online sellers between August 8 and 17 last year, claiming they were interested in buying the items.

They would then use the scheduled future transaction feature on online banking apps to convince the seller the money had been transferred into their account.

“It would then take days for the victim to realise they hadn’t received the money,” the prosecutor said.

His lawyer, Michael Pena-Rees, said the Tarneit teenager had fallen in with a “bad crowd” during last year’s Covid lockdowns.

“Lockdown has caused him to move from what was a person of good behaviour to serious offending,” he said.

“His family has supported him after learning of the offending — what can only be described as a ridiculous situation — when he became engaged with people he shouldn’t have.”

He said the young man had severed ties with the group and moved back in with his family.

“He’s very concerned that because of this brief interlude he won‘t be able to move on with his life,” he said.

“He lost a job when they found out about the charges he’s facing, he’s now hoping he can obtain work and be a better member of the community.”

The presiding magistrate said he would consider not imposing imprisonment because of his young age and lack of prior record.

“If he was not 19 and without priors this conversation would have ended already. He’d get a custodial sentence no doubt about it,” he said.

“This wasn't a once off, this was calculated and deliberate offending. I will have him assessed for a community corrections order and give this some thought.”

Omar will return to court on December 20 for sentencing.