Fishing is a hobby enjoyed by many, but phishing not so much.

Phishing scams are a way cyber criminals trick people into giving out personal information. We've all seen the 'click here to confirm your details' type messages. They are tempting to click onto, as many fraudulent emails or text messages pretend to be from large organisations you know or trust, such as the ATO or a bank. They may try to steal your online banking logins, credit card details or passwords. Phishing can result in the loss of information, money or identity theft.

NSW Police recently announced they have taken one large scale phisher off the streets - a man allegedly responsible for sending over 17 million fraudulent text messages.

Strike Force Kanbi detectives executed a search warrant in Moorebank last week where they arrested a 39-year-old man and found equipment consistent with running a fraudulent text message scam. These items were seized to undergo further forensic examination.

The man was taken to Liverpool Police Station where he was charged with use equipment connected to network to commit serious offence. In this instance, his messages claimed to be from Australia Post and Linkt.

The man was granted conditional bail to appear before Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday 17 January 2024. While the man was based in Sydney, his scam would have reached far and wide with western plains regions not exempt from this crime.

Commander of the Cybercrime Squad, Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Smith said consumers should be weary of SMS phishing scams in the lead up to Christmas.

“As we enter the final lead up to Christmas, a lot of people will be expecting online deliveries; but under no circumstances should you ever click on a link you receive in an SMS message or email," he said.

“Legitimate businesses will never call or SMS customers seeking confidential information. Always be suspicious when you receive such requests. Scammers will often pretend to be from a reputable company or financial institution so even if it’s a company you regularly deal with, the safer option is to independently log into that company’s website to check your account.”

Detective Smith said SMS phishing is one of the most common tactics deployed by scammers to obtain banking and other personal information from a victim, and SIM boxes can hold over 250 active SIM cards and will typically send out up to 150,000 messages per day containing phishing lures to various scams.

“While the Cybercrime Squad remain committing to stamping out this type of crime, we need the community to be Cyber smart by not clicking links you receive in texts or email – the scammers are powerless if you don’t play into their hands,” he said.