Cybercriminals Exploit Australia’s ReportCyber Platform to Target Crypto Users

Australian authorities have issued a warning about cybercriminals exploiting the national ReportCyber platform to defraud cryptocurrency users. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and its Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) revealed that criminals are using stolen personal data and impersonating law enforcement officers to steal funds from digital wallets.

The fraudsters, described as 'social engineers,' harvest private details such as email addresses and phone numbers before submitting fraudulent reports through ReportCyber, the government's official cybercrime reporting tool. Once potential victims are identified, the criminals contact them directly, posing as AFP officers investigating cybercrime cases. AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson noted that the scammers employ tactics to create urgency and verify personal information in ways that align with victims' expectations.

In one documented case, a target received a call from an individual claiming to be from the AFP. The impostor alleged that the victim was implicated in a crypto-related data breach and provided an official-looking reference number linked to a fabricated ReportCyber submission to lend credibility to the scheme.