A 42-year-old man from Western Australia has been charged by Australian police for allegedly setting up fraudulent Wi-Fi networks at airports and on domestic flights. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) claims these fraudulent networks pretended to be real networks to extract personal information from unsuspecting tourists. The man was due to appear in court in Perth on Friday on nine cybercrime charges.
According to News Corp AustraliaPolice allege the 42-year-old created “evil twin” copies of legitimate Wi-Fi networks using a device at a number of locations, including airports in Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide, and on domestic flights.
When users tried to connect their devices to the network, they were reportedly taken to a fake web page, asking them to sign in using their email or social media login.
These details were allegedly saved on the person’s device, and could have been used to access more personal information, including the victim’s online communications, stored images and videos, or bank details, police said.
The alleged scam was reported to police by an airline in April after its staff identified a suspicious Wi-Fi network during a domestic flight.
According to the news portal, AFP Western Command Cyber Crime Detective Inspector Andrea Coleman said internet users should always be cautious when logging on to any public Wi-Fi networks.
“You don’t need to provide any personal information to connect to a free Wi-Fi network – like logging in via email or social media accounts,” he said.
Inspector Coleman said those using public hotspots should install a reputable VPN on their device to encrypt and secure their data.
“When using a public network, disable file sharing, don’t perform any sensitive tasks such as banking while connected, and change your device’s setting to ‘forget the network’ when you’re done using it,” he said.
“We also recommend turning off Wi-Fi on your phone or other electronic devices before going to a public place, so your device doesn’t automatically connect to a hotspot.”