The AFP has arrested a man who allegedly tried to scam victims of the Optus data leak after accessing their details online.
Look back on the updates with our live blog.
Key events
Live updates
By Shiloh Payne
That's all for the blog
Thank you for joining us this afternoon.
You can continue to stay up to date with the latest news here on the ABC News website and on our app.
By Shiloh Payne
The steps you can take
The AFP is encouraging the public to be vigilant online. Here are some of the steps you can take:
- look out for any suspicious or unexpected activity across your online accounts, including your telco, bank and utilities accounts.
- make sure to report any suspicious activity in your bank account immediately to your financial institution
- do not click on any links in any email or SMS claiming to be from Optus
- if someone calls claiming to be from Optus, the police, bank or another organisation and offers to help you with the data breach, consider hanging up and contacting the organisation on its official contact details. This can be a scammer calling using your personal information
- never click on any links that look suspicious and never provide your passwords, your bank's one-time pins, or any personal or financial information
- if people call posing as a credible organisation and request access to your computer, always say no.
By Shiloh Payne
Sydney teen demanded $2,000 from Optus customers as part of data breach scam, AFP says
Here's the latest from our reporter Jake Lapham
A 19-year-old Sydney man has been charged after allegedly using information obtained during last month’s Optus data breach to blackmail people.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) assistant commissioner Justine Gough alleged the man would have continued to send texts had he not been arrested this morning.
- You can find more on this story by clicking the link below
By Shiloh Payne
Here's what Operation Guardian is up to
The AFP paunched Operation Guardian in the wake of the data breach to ensure an effective and collaborative approach to protecting Optus customers.
Here's what they are doing to help:
- identifying the 10,000 individuals across Australia now at risk of identity fraud and working with industry to enable further protection for those members of the public
- monitoring online forums, the internet and the dark web for other criminals trying to exploit the personal information released online
- engaging with the financial service industry to detect criminal activity associated with the data breach
- analysing trends from ReportCyber to determine whether there are links between individuals who have been exploited.
By Shiloh Payne
Government strengthens powers for telcos to share affected data following Optus hack
Here's the latest on the Optus data breach from political reporter Jake Evans:
The federal government has released planned changes to telecommunications laws following the Optus data breach, which affected nearly 10 million customers and former customers.
Changes to telecommunications regulations will allow drivers licences and Medicare and passport numbers to be temporarily shared with financial services so they can implement enhanced monitoring for people affected by the Optus breach.
Optus will also be able to share that information with Commonwealth and state and territory agencies to assist in fraud detection.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the changes would help make customers affected by the breach safer.
"Financial institutions can play an important role in targeting their efforts towards protecting customers at greatest risk of fraudulent activity and scams in the wake of the recent Optus breach," Mr Chalmers said.
"These new measures will assist in protecting customers from scams, and in system-wide fraud detection."
By Shiloh Payne
How to protect yourself in the wake of the Optus leak
Here's a look at some ways you can protest yourself after the Optus data leak.
By Shiloh Payne
Here's a look at the key moments
If you're just joining us, here's what was discussed in the press conference:
- A 19-year-old man has been charged after he allegedly attempted to misuse stolen Optus customer data in a text message blackmail scam
- The AFP will allege the man targeted 93 people using the Optus records.
- No customers paid the $2,000 that was demanded.
- The man faces two charges, they are using a telecommunication network with the intent to commit a serious offence where the serious offence is blackmail, and dealing with identification information
- Assustant commissioner Justine Gough says this was the first arrest under Operation Guardian and likely won't be the last.
By Shiloh Payne
Gough: 'Do not test capability of law enforcement'
That's it for the press conference.
Assistant commissioner Gough took the opportunity to warn scammers against using the data leaked in the breach.
"Do not test the capability or dedication of law enforcement. The AFP, our state partners and industry are relentlessly scouring forums and other online sites for criminal activity linked to this breach," she says.
"Just because there has been one arrest does not mean there won’t be more.”
Assistant commissioner Gough says Operation Hurricane, the AFP investigation into the alleged offender responsible for the breach, is continuing.
“The Hurricane investigation is a high priority for the AFP and we are aggressively pursuing all lines of enquiry to identify those behind this attack.”
By Shiloh Payne
This is the first arrest under Operation Guardian
Assistant commissioner Gough says this is the first person who has been arrested under Operation Guardian and suspects it won't be the last.
"We are doing whatever we can working around the clock to protect Australians whose details have been released," she says.
She has warned people impacted by the breach to be suspicious of text messages, and not to click on links claiming to be from Optus, banks, police or other organisations offering to help with the data leak.
By Shiloh Payne
The man allegedly accessed the data online
Assistant commissioner Gough says the alleged offender obtained the records released online and then texted the customers and made a demand to pay $2,000 into a bank account or their identity would be used for criminal purposes.
She says the text messages started to be sent last week.
By Shiloh Payne
Man allegedly targeted 93 people
Assistant commissioner Justine Gough says the alleged offender accessed the stolen records posted online and target 93 people using those records.
"Fortunately, no customer paid the amount that was demanded," she says.
He faces two charges:
- Using a telecommunication network with the intent to commit a serious offence where the serious offence is blackmail. This offence is punishable, upon conviction, by a penalty not exceeding that of the serious offence, being a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 10 years; and
- Dealing with identification information, contrary to section 192K of the Crime Act 1900 (NSW). This offence is punishable by a maximum penalty of imprisonment of 7 years.
By Shiloh Payne
Man arrested for alleged data breach scam
A 19-year-old Sydney man has been charged for allegedly attempting to misuse stolen Optus customer data in a text message blackmail scam.
The investigation was sparked when AFP-led Operation Guardian became aware of a number of text messages demanding some Optus customers transfer $2000 to a bank account or face their personal information being used for financial crimes.
The data used by the alleged offender to identify these customers was from the 10,200 stolen records posted online after last month's Optus breach.
Assistant Commissioner Cyber Command Justine Gough says the man is not suspected of being the individual responsible for the Optus breach but allegedly tried to financially benefit from the stolen data that was dumped on an online forum.
By Shiloh Payne
AFP to provide update on leaked Optus data
The Australian Federal Police are holding a press conference to provide details on the arrest of a Sydney man for an alleged SMS scam using information obtained from the Optus data breach.
Good afternoon, I'm Shiloh Payne and I'll be taking you through the latest updates on the Optus data leak.
We're expecting the press conference to begin at 3pm AEDT.
