Police have charged a man from Melbourne's north-east with using the 'Hi Mum' SMS scam to trick people into giving him a "substantial amount of money".
The 21-year-old Templestowe man is facing five counts of obtaining property by deception following a six-week investigation, police said.
Police claim the man obtained electronic goods in person using false documents and obtained money through the Hi Mum scam, in which a message is sent claiming to be from a child who has lost their phone.
Police said the charges related to fraudulent transactions that occurred over online marketplaces in December across Ringwood, Narre Warren, Mill Park, Mitcham and Doncaster East.
The man has been bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates' Court on July 18.
Police have urged the public to learn more about scams being used in the community through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website.
