Hacking charges

By Nicole Williams
A HAMPTON Park man has been arrested on charges of hacking into more than 90 internet accounts.
The 33-year-old man was arrested on 14 December and appeared in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 15 December.
He will face court again this week on computer intrusion related charges, including unauthorised access, modification or impairment with intent to commit a serious offence.
The national manager for high tech crimes operations, Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughen, said the arrest should serve as a reminder about online safety.
“Anyone can be targeted by criminals online,” Mr Gaughen said. “It’s important to be aware of the risks and take appropriate action to protect personal information.”
It is alleged the man illegally obtained the details of private and business internet accounts by hacking into customer modems via the internet, and used the accounts to download significant amounts of data and conduct other fraudulent activity.
He came to the attention of the Australia Federal Police High Tech Crime Investigations in September and a search warrant was executed last week during which computer equipment was seized.