A man has been charged after he allegedly set up fake free wifi networks at Australian airports and on domestic flights to steal personal data from un

WA man set up fake free wifi at Australian airports and on flights to steal people’s data, police allege

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2024-06-28 10:00:02

A man has been charged after he allegedly set up fake free wifi networks at Australian airports and on domestic flights to steal personal data from unsuspecting members of the public.

The 42-year-old Western Australian man is facing nine cybercrime charges and was due to appear in Perth magistrates court on Friday.

Australian federal police allege the man created “evil twin” wifi networks – which mimicked legitimate networks – to trick users into entering their personal details.

The fake pages were allegedly set up at Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide airports, on domestic flights, and at other locations that police said were linked to the man’s previous employment.

Police launched an investigation in April after an airline reported its staff were worried about a suspicious wifi network that popped up during a domestic flight.

Federal police said on Friday they had discovered a portable wireless device, laptop and mobile phone when they searched the man’s baggage after he returned to Perth airport.