Townsville Magistrates Court: Jiahui Liu sentenced for 5 million mobile scam texts to Australians

A man believed he was working in advertising after helping send scam texts posed as Centrelink and Medicare to obtain personal information from mobiles. Here’s how he became involved.

A man claimed he was offered a job via online chat which led him to helping send five million scam texts to people across Australia, posing as multiple organisations and asking for private details.

Jiahui Liu, a Chinese National who was living in Aitkenvale appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court via video link from the correctional centre with an interpreter on the phone that helped translate the proceedings.

Police prosecutor senior sergeant Felicity Nalder told the court that police and the Cyber Crime Task Force along with Telstra detected a box device with 497 different service numbers that sent just under five million scam texts to Australian phone numbers between March 27 and June 15 this year.

It was accepted by the court that the man believed the texts were for advertising purposes.

“These messages reported to be from Centrelink, Medicare, Australia Post, Commonwealth Bank, Linkt and Transurban,” Sergeant Nalder said.

Townsville Magistrates Court: Jiahui Liu sentenced for 5 million mobile scam texts to Australians. PICTURE: Video from QPS

“The aim of these messages were to deceive recipients to provide login credentials or identification information or fraudulently obtain their financial information.”

She said each phone number was sending 200,000 text messages – however it was noted that the amount of money or information taken from the texts was “unquantifiable”.

Sergeant Nalder said when police searched the 31-year-old’s Aitkenvale home they found 1265 SIM cards in his bedroom where he told officers about the part-time job he was offered via Wee Chat after getting in touch with someone unknown to him.

“He said he was sent the sim box and 100 to 200 SIM cards in the mail,” the prosecutor said.

Sergeant Nalder said CCTV captured the man buying more SIM cards at the supermarket.

“He was told to hook it up to a computer and he granted someone remote access to set it up,” she explained.

“The defendant was required to send photos of the SIM cards so they could be activated and he changed them each night, he said he was paid in Chinese Yuan for each night.”

Liu told police he didn’t know the texts were scams and believed they were advertising, the prosecutor said.

‘Target for boxing’ while behind bars

Defence lawyer Jess Hine from Legal Aid Queensland said her client who had no Australian criminal history had his working visa expire recently and was planning to return to China immediately after being released.

She also detailed the difficulties the man had experienced while spending his 64 days in Townsville Correctional Centre.

“He has not been able to communicate with other inmates or correctional staff,” she said.

“He’s had people destroy property and yell at him and he’s not been able to diffuse or settle the situation or ask for help.

“Most concerning, he’s been assaulted and describes himself as a target for boxing.”

Ms Hine said the man’s family did not know where he was for a month before he was able to finally get in touch with them, and the magistrate should take into consideration how onerous prison had been for him while handing down a sentence.

It was noted during the prosecutor’s submission that Liu was not the “prime mover” of the operation however emphasised the prevalence of scam messages that are sent to people on a daily basis.

“It’s fair to say everyone in this courtroom has received SMS phishing or scam texts,” Sergeant Nalder said.

Magistrate Susan Warrington said she was sentencing the man on the basis that no one suffered significant financial loss.

Liu pleaded guilty to possessing equipment for the purpose of facilitating the commission of an offence.

He was sentenced to six months jail suspended immediately as the 64 days he spent in pre-sentence custody was declared as time already served.

A conviction was recorded and all items involved in the offence were ordered to be seized.

Originally published as Townsville Magistrates Court: Jiahui Liu sentenced for 5 million mobile scam texts to Australians