A Sydney man accused of sending over 17 million fraudulent text messages under the guise of popular companies such as Australia Post and Linkt has made his first appearance in court, facing an additional charge related to identification information.

Xuan Su – the man allegedly behind the outlandish number of scam texts – was initially arrested in mid-December after the NSW Police’s cyber crime squad launched investigations into a suspected SMS phishing scam.

On 12 December 2023, detectives executed a search warrant at a Moorebank property, leading to the discovery of two active SIM-boxes, a range of SIM cards, and “electronics consistent with running a fraudulent text message scam”.

NSW Police said the SIM-boxes can hold over 250 active SIM cards, enabling the technology to send up to 150,000 messages containing phishing lures per day.

At the time, 39-year-old Su had been granted conditional bail after being charged with using equipment connected to a network to commit a serious offence.

Su is allegedly responsible for sending a batch of 17.5 million fraud text messages in just one week during the lead-up to Christmas.

It will be further alleged Su sent these messages while purporting to be from a number of different companies, including Australia Post and toll company Linkt.

Facing court for the first time at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday – wearing a face mask to shield his face from the cameras – it was revealed Su was additionally charged with using identity information to commit an indictable offence.

As reported by the ABC, this charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison – although Su has not entered a plea to either charge laid against him.

Court documents detail the identity information offence is related to both Australian drivers licences and passports, with said information allegedly used with the intent of committing or facilitating fraud between September 2022 and 12 December – the day of Su’s arrest.

Su’s lawyer David Downey requested an adjournment in court, before later declining to provide further details to reporters.

The ABC reports Downey advised media he needed to take instructions from his client, while Su himself offered no comment on whether he sent the fraud messages in question.

Su now remains on bail with the case scheduled to return to court in April.

‘Tis the season for scams

The allegations against Su reflect an annual trend of scams increasing during the lead-up to the holiday period – a time where shoppers are more actively buying and consequently more vulnerable to fraud.

In late December, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch warned Australians to be on alert for scam text messages and emails impersonating Australia Post and other popular courier services.

Australia’s National Anti-Scam Centre observed the number of reported delivery phishing scams quadruple during 2023, prompting ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe to warn Australians away from clicking links in text messages and emails, even when expecting a delivery.

“Many Australians will be waiting for parcels to be delivered both ahead of Christmas and following the Boxing Day sales,” said Lowe.

“You can be sure that scammers will be looking to take advantage of this.”

Shortly after Su’s arrest, NSW Police’s detective acting superintendent Jason Smith further warned Australians to be weary of SMS phishing scams.

“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,” said Smith.

“Legitimate businesses will never call or SMS customers seeking confidential information. “Always be suspicious when you receive such requests.”

Scamwatch is yet to release the total number of reported scams for December 2023.