Northern Beaches residents continue to be relentlessly scammed by sham crytocurrency investment schemes. As recently as Wednesday, 7 May 2025, a man from Warriewood reported to the police that someone had contacted him on the Signal messaging platform in June 2024 about a cryptocurrency investment opportunity.
The initial outlay was $500, with a return ten times that amount. He invested more money with Ultra Trade Investments, with a promise of an even higher return.
Funds were reportedly rolled over and reinvested, however, other fees were required to release profits. In the period leading up to April 2025, the man had paid nearly $64,000 before realising it was a scam.
Police said this is a cautionary tale for would-be crypto currency investors.
All digital currency exchange providers must be registered with AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre).
See austrac.gov.au for more information.
Brookvale mother targeted in ‘Hi mum’ scam
On Thursday, 8 May 2025, a mother from Brookvale received a message purporting to be from her son who was desperate to buy a new phone after he dropped his down the sink.
She replied with a copy of her bank card details.
Soon after, she contacted her real son and discovered she had been scammed and almost $2,000 was taken from her account.
Inquiries will be conducted to trace the offender’s phone and the movement of the victim’s money.
‘Hi mum’ or Impersonation scams involve offenders impersonating family or friends to steal money. Text messages are framed to look legitimate. Warning signs include a hyperlink attached to a message, and a heightened sense of urgency.
Man arrested 14 years after armed robbery at Narrabeen
A man has been charged 14 years after an armed robbery at Narrabeen.
About 8am on Friday, 22 April 2011, Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command were called to Pittwater Road, Narrabeen, responding to reports of an armed robbery at a service station.
Police were told a man had entered the store allegedly threatening a 20-year-old staff member with a sawn-off rifle. The man left the store with cash and was last seen running west along Robertson Street.
A cap, gloves and other items discarded nearby by the offender were pointed out to police and seized. An unknown DNA profile was detected from the discarded items.
Despite extensive inquiries at the time, the man was unable to be identified until August 2024, when Queensland Police took DNA from the man for an unrelated matter in Queensland. It proved to be a match with the 2011 Narrabeen robbery. Northern Beaches Detectives opened a fresh investigation under the code name Strike Force Effingham.
Following a review of the case – and with the assistance of Queensland Police – a 36-year-old man was arrested at 9.30am, 6 May 2025, by virtue of a NSW warrant at a hotel on Beaudesert Road, Acacia Ridge.
The man was taken to the Brisbane Watch House and appeared the same day before the Brisbane Magistrates Court, where an extradition order to NSW was granted.
On 7 May 2025, Detectives accompanied the man to Sydney Airport and took him to Mascot Police Station where he was charged with ‘Robbery while armed with dangerous weapon’.
The 36-year-old man from Helensvale QLD was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on 10 July 2025.
Manly Observer reported on this earlier this week, please click the link to read more:
Crime Watch Northern Beaches is a weekly wrap up of local crimes and incidents from the Northern Beaches Police Area Command. If you saw or can help with any of the below incidents, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or here. All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. You can also contact Dee Why Police Station 9971 3399.
