The Russian mafia was recruiting Queenslanders (Australia) to act as "mules" in an internet fraud scam against banks, a court was told yesterday.
The Court of Appeal heard details of a group using a devise known as a "trojan" to collect personal details of bank customers. The group then illegally transferred money into accounts held by its mules who took a percentage of the money and forwarded the rest to an address in St Petersburg.
The court was told mules were recruited by email with offers of employment and were later contacted when money was placed in their accounts with instructions to pass it on, via Western Union, to Russia.
The scam details came to light during an appeal by Mark Johnson, who was found guilty of dishonestly applying to his use 15 belonging to Suncorp Metway.
In the District Court in Gympie earlier this year, Johnson was jailed for 12 months but he appealed on the grounds he was entitled to withdraw money which had been placed in his account.
Johnson told police he believed the money was put in his account by a friend who owed him a favour.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.
Source: The Courier Mail
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