Australian Federal Police arrest two Victorians over alleged robo-call rip-off

A teenager and a 30-year-old are accused of using fake bank robo-calls to steal $1 million after Scotland Yard exposed the international rip-off.

Scotland Yard exposed the international rip-off.

Two Victorians have been accused of using fake bank robo-calls to steal $1 million after Scotland Yard exposed the international rip-off.

The Australian Federal Police have arrested a Boronia man, 30, and a 16-year-old boy over their alleged use of the iSpoof fraud website.

It is alleged iSpoof was selling services for as little as 20 pounds which enabled the robo-calls to be made.

Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom launched Operation Stonefish in August to investigate the site, which used offers of one-time personal identification numbers and other services to give the appearance of legitimacy.

The Yard’s inquiries identified two Australian users, information which was passed on to the AFP.

It conducted raids in Boronia, Brighton and Brookfield where mobile phones, computers, tablets, fake licences, bank cards and Medicare cards were seized, along with a small amount of drugs.

The electronic devices are being forensically analysed for iSpoof activity.

The pair arrested have been charged with producing false or misleading documents and a computer access offence.

The teen will face court again on December 8 and the Boronia man on February 1.

They could face jail terms of up to 10 years, if convicted.

The AFP said it was working with UK authorities to find other victims and users of the scam.

More than 100 people have been arrested in the UK arm of Stonefish.

It is estimated as much as 50 million pounds was stolen from 200,000 victims, snared in an avalanche of phone calls from the corrupt automated service.

Constable Josh Simpson said analysis of the website indicated Australia was a popular target for the iSpoof scammers.

He said cybercrime was increasingly being provided as a service in which offenders only needed a computer and internet connection to start ripping-off victims.

“The interconnected nature of cybercrime means that working with our international law enforcement partners is vital to identifying perpetrators and putting them before court,” he said.

“Our dedicated cyber liaison officers around the world are able to assist in the take-down of malicious sites and administrators.”