A 38-year-old man from the Sydney suburb of Lurnea has been charged with allegedly dealing with more than $3.5 million in proceeds of crime, following a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scam that targeted the Northern Territory Government.
AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson said cybercriminals continue to target organisations that regularly handle large payments: “In the 2023–2024 financial year, business email compromise and fraud were among the most common self-reported cybercrimes for small, medium and large businesses and individuals in Australia.”
She urged caution when dealing with payment requests that involve changes to banking details.
“It is crucial to double check emails, particularly if there is a request for a change in banking details. Call the party you are engaged with to confirm the request is legitimate – and use a phone number that you’ve previously used or independently verified – don’t call a number in the suspicious email,”
According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), investigations began in November 2024 when a bank flagged a suspected fraud involving a government agency. Authorities allege that the man impersonated a legitimate construction contractor working with the NT Government by registering a business with a similar name and opening a bank account to receive funds.
On 7 November 2024, the government agency received an email purporting to be from the contractor. The message included a vendor identification form with updated bank details, and appeared to copy in multiple email addresses of the contractor’s employees. However, the AFP allege these email addresses were fraudulently created to support the deception.
Believing the communication to be genuine, the agency transferred $3,583,363 to the newly provided bank account. While swift action by the bank helped recover $3,571,760 of the funds, police claim the man was able to access and withdraw some of the money.
Further investigation allegedly linked a phone number in the fraudulent vendor form to the accused. The AFP executed a search warrant at his home on 23 July 2025, seizing electronic devices and documents related to the fake business.
He has been charged with one count of dealing with money worth $1,000,000 or more, believed to be proceeds of crime, under section 400.3(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The offence carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
Det-Supt Andersson added that quick action from the bank played a key role in the recovery:
“If you have fallen victim, report it immediately to your bank and the police to give us the best chance of recovering your money. As a result of quick action and preventative measures undertaken by the bank involved, $3,571,760 of the allegedly stolen money was recovered.”
Milan Gigovic, ANZ’s Head of Financial Crime Threat Management, said such scams are increasingly exploiting trust within business relationships. He said, “Business email compromise (BEC) and impersonation fraud are rapidly evolving and sophisticated scams that exploit the trust between businesses, their partners, and customers.”
He further noted that ANZ’s crime prevention efforts rely heavily on collaboration,
“Together, we are strengthening our defences, preventing fraudulent payments and protecting Australian businesses.”
The man appeared before Liverpool Local Court on Thursday, 24 July 2025, where he was granted conditional bail. He is due to face Campbelltown Local Court on 17 September 2025.
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