Pensioner tracks down internet conman

By Matt Cunningham

A DISABLED pensioner who was duped out of $11 has helped to bring down an alleged internet scammer from the Northern Territory.

NT Police believe 22-year-old Brent Mack conned almost $5000 out of buyers on the international auction website eBay.

But the alleged scam artist might still be operating if not for the efforts of Ralph Johansson.

Mr Johansson, of Busselton in Western Australia, was so incensed at being ripped off in February 2005 he set up a website detailing the incident.

He soon contacted several other eBay users who had suffered a similar fate.

Some had been scammed out of several hundred dollars.

Mr Johansson, 63, who suffers from diabetes and heart problems, said he first informed his local police but they showed little interest.

When the observant pensioner noticed Mr Mack was allegedly operating from an address in Winnellie, he contacted the NT Police and the Australian Crime Commission.

Detectives from the fraud squad soon contacted him and he passed on his dossier.

"I actually didn't get ripped off that much money," Mr Johansson told the Northern Territory News.

"He had an old server motherboard listed on the net. I bought that off him for $11 but it never arrived.

"I did a lot of work for my $11."

Mr Johansson said police were unaware of Mr Mack's alleged activities before he contacted them.

"People like that need to be taken out of circulation," he said.

Mr Mack appeared in the Alice Springs Magistrates Court in November charged with five counts of deception.

He was released on bail but a warrant was issued for his arrest last week after he failed to report to police as part of his bail conditions.

Mr Mack also has outstanding warrants for similar charges in Western Australia.

But Mr Johansson was still confident justice would be done.

"They will find him again," Mr Johansson said.

"The country is not that big."