A 30-year-old man who allegedly posed as a teenage boy to lure young girls into sending him child exploitation material has been arrested at the airport as he attempted to return to Australia.
Police believe the man pretended to be a 14-year-old boy so he could lure numerous female children into sending him child exploitation material online.
He is also accused of attempting to meet with at least one of the children for sex.
The 30-year-old was arrested at Brisbane International Airport on Thursday as he arrived from an overseas trip and was stopped by Border Force officials.
Task Force Argos detectives, responsible for investigating online child abuse, made the arrest after a search of a property in Springfield, Ipswich, in March, where equipment was seized and examined.
The 30-year-old was charged with possessing child exploitation material and multiple grooming offences.
The man appeared in in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday, and is due back in the same court on Monday.
One in four children has been approached by a stranger online, according to research from the office of the eSafety Commissioner, and parents should talk to their children about dealing with unwanted online attention.
Strangers often take on fake identities and can convince children to do things like take intimate photographs, Argos Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson said.
"Once these images are shared with the offender, they cannot be removed," he said.
"To those offenders who seek to engage with children to satisfy their sexual needs, be aware that every day Argos has undercover officers working in a range of online platforms.
"The next 'child' that you speak with may be an undercover police officer."
