If you get this text, your phone’s likely ‘compromised’, Sydney lawyer warns

A Sydney lawyer has cautioned 50,000 people who received a text message from NSW Police to be “wary”.

A Sydney lawyer has warned thousands of people have likely had their phones “compromised” after they were sent a text from NSW Police warning their phones have been linked to alleged drug runners.

About 50,000 people received the warning text as part of police operation Strike Force Wessex.

The operation was launched in April to investigate alleged criminal groups across Sydney involved in drug supply using drug run or ‘dial-a-dealer’ phones.

On Thursday, NSW police announced they had shut down 26 alleged drug runner phone numbers and sent out messages to alert people their numbers have been linked to an alleged drug-running phone.

“The NSW Police Force: Strike Force Wessex has identified this number engaging with an organised crime drug supply ‘dial-a-dealer’ phone. If this continues you may be subject to further investigation. Cease all contact now,” the message read.

About 50,000 people received this text message from NSW Police. Picture: TikTok@jahankalantarofficial

Addressing the texts on TikTok, Sydney-based lawyer Jahan Kalantar from Executive Law Group, confirmed the messages are legitimate and cautioned those who have received them to “be wary”.

“If you received this message … it is highly likely that your phone is in some way shape or form, compromised,” he said in the video, which has amassed over 250,000 views.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Kalantar said those who received the text may have had contact with someone who “may have been involved in a serious syndicate”.

“It may be nefarious, it may be not nefarious, but it means that somehow your phone has had some sort of relationship with a phone that has had something to do with the supplied naughty stuff.”

“Maybe you’re a pizza delivery guy or an Uber driver who gave someone a lift once using this number. Maybe you are somebody who had nothing to do with this at all, and your number somehow got into their system, because you know, there was a mistake in the text, it could be anything.”

Mr Kalantar said those who received the text may have had nothing to do with the activity. Picture: TikTok@jahankalantarofficial

Mr Kalantar said receiving the text doesn’t mean you are in trouble in the eyes of the law, but he advised those who may be involved in criminal activity to take the warning “very seriously” and delete related contacts from their phone.

“You’d be wise to stop that activity immediately,” he said.

“It would not be very difficult for people who continue to engage in that behaviour to find themselves in serious legal trouble pretty quickly.”

Mr Kalantar called the messages a “brilliant swoop” by NSW and said he’s never seen anything like it before.

“People who receive (the text) and have nothing to worry about, are going to just be confused and probably won’t do anything. People who have something to worry about may change their behaviour. So I thought it was actually quite an innovative and creative way of letting people know that maybe their secrets aren’t as secret as they thought they were.”

Mr Kalantar advised those who may be involved in criminal activity to take the warning “very seriously”. Picture: Supplied

Under Strike Force Wessex, eight phones were physically seized on top of the 26 phone numbers that were identified as being used by alleged criminal syndicate members.

Police will allege some of the phone numbers – who were known to their contacts only by names such as ‘Dior, ‘Tommy’ and ‘Ricky’ – have been in operation for up to 10 years.

Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor said this was one of the first times police have used this kind of technology to dismantle criminal syndicates.

“Exploiting new technological capabilities, and using our relationship with various Australian telecommunication companies, we’ve been able to shut down these phones that were running up to millions of dollars’ worth of drugs per week – anything from cannabis to cocaine to ice,” Det Supt Taylor said.

“Now we’ve disrupted the dealers’ direct line to their customers, we can turn our attention to those at the top – the criminal syndicate controlling these phones and we’ll be coming after them next.”