'Greedy behaviour': Jail time for fraudster after $66,000 swindle

Andrew Beck, who "abused his role as an IT contractor" for the Australian National Maritime Museum to steal more than $66,000, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

"This man exploited his trusted position of employment to fraudulently access and spend thousands of dollars belonging to others for his own benefit," Australian Federal Police detective superintendent Tim Stainton said.

"The greedy behaviour in this matter came at the expense of hard-working Australian individuals and business owners," he said.

The financial scam was easily traced back to the 25-year-old after museum officials detected financial record irregularities in November 2022.

The support worker had logged onto the museum's accounts payable system and changed bank details to his own, police said.

He also accessed the computer system to take credit card details from almost a dozen people who had booked corporate space in the museum overlooking Darling Harbour.

Beck used the bank details to buy $15,000 worth of four-wheel drive upgrades for his Nissan Patrol and more than $20,000 in "high-powered IT equipment".

These purchases were made in Beck's name and were delivered to his Macquarie Park home.

He was convicted of one count of unauthorised access and modification with intent to commit a serious computer offence, one count of dishonestly obtaining or dealing in personal financial information and one count of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

He won't be eligible for parole until June 2025.

Help is available:

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