Australian in court for £2m 419 scam

An Australian is facing charges of taking over £2m from people around the world by using 419 scam tactics over the internet and phone.

Nick Marinellis has appeared in the Dubbo Local Court, New South Wales, following a far-reaching international investigation.

According to Australian newspaper The Age, Marinellis is supposed to have amassed a fortune, including roughly £240,000 from a single Saudi sheikh. Other victims are said to include Hungarians and Japanese.

419 scammers typically operate by pretending to have access to long-forgotten corporate funds or lottery winnings in certain countries which simply need an overseas bank account and contact to be gotten at. The scam - whose name derives from the article of Nigerian law aimed at preventing such criminal behaviour - normally sees victims being tapped for upfront expenses or other items of value, such as passport, bank and social security numbers.

International agencies including Interpol, the US Secret Service and the Criminal Intelligence Bureau in the UK have been of informed of Marinellis' arrest.

However, solicitor for the defence, Catherine Colquhoun, portrayed her client as church-going family man who takes care of his elderly parents and exists on a disability pension.

Marinellis, despite a plea that he needs to be in the community to receive treatment for schizophrenia, was denied bail by the magistrate. The case will be heard in full in Sydney on 12 December.