Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: An Indian national living in Australia on a student visa has been sentenced to prison for orchestrating an elaborate real estate fraud worth over $200,000, after impersonating a law firm to deceive a homebuyer.
The 28-year-old man, identified as Pardeep, was working as an Uber driver while pursuing an Information Technology course in Australia. According to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald, he was convicted of dishonestly obtaining property by deception and dealing with proceeds of crime.
The court heard that in October 2024, Pardeep learned about a prospective homebuyer who had engaged a Sydney-based real estate law firm to purchase a property. Exploiting this information, he registered a domain name nearly identical to that of the law firm and sent fraudulent emails from an address closely resembling the firm’s official email.
To further the deception, Pardeep registered a company bearing a similar name to the law firm, opened a business bank account, and listed himself as the director. Within a month, he requested payments amounting to $209,874, claiming the funds were required for the property purchase and stamp duty. The victim transferred the money in two separate transactions.
The scam came to light when the buyer contacted the actual lawyer and discovered the fraud. Police investigations revealed that only $900 of the stolen amount could be recovered, as Pardeep had used the remaining funds to purchase gold. Surveillance footage from the shop where the gold was bought further linked him to the crime.
During the trial, Pardeep denied wrongdoing and claimed he owned a transport company but failed to provide evidence of legitimate business activity. His lawyer argued that he acted under instructions from another individual, but prosecutors stated there was no proof of any accomplice.
The judge sentenced Pardeep to two years in prison with a non-parole period of 14 months, observing that the offence was deliberate and well-planned. Upon completion of his sentence, he is expected to be deported from Australia, where he was residing with his partner.
