A man has been charged after he allegedly tricked a Northern Territory Government agency into sending him $3.5 million.

Police say the 38-year-old from Lurnea, Sydney sent the agency an email on November 7, 2024, purporting to be a contractor from a construction company they were working with.

He allegedly sent a completed vendor identification form with updated bank details and in the email CC’d a number of other people who appeared to work at the company.

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He also allegedly registered a business that appeared similar to the real contractor and opened a fraudulent bank account.

The government agency eventually paid $3,583,363 to the bank account.

The Australian Federal Police began investigating the scam, tracing the phone number linked to the vendor identification form to the Sydney man.

Police say the man allegedly withdrew money from the bank account on multiple occasions.

The AFP executed a search warrant at the man’s home on July 23 and seized a number of items, including electronic devices and documents relating to registration of the fake company.

The man was charged with one count of dealing with proceeds of crime worth $1 million or more.

He appeared before Liverpool Local Court on July 24 and was granted conditional bail.

The alleged fraudster is scheduled to appear before Campbelltown Local Court in September.

He faces a maximum of 12 years in prison.

AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson said the majority of the stolen money was recovered.

She said it was crucial for businesses and individuals to double-check emails, especially when there is a request for a change in banking details.

“Call the party you are engaged with to confirm the request is legitimate – and use a phone number that you’ve previously used or independently verified – don’t call a number in the suspicious email,” Andersson said.

“If you have fallen victim, report it immediately to your bank and the police to give us the best chance of recovering your money.”