A drug-addicted Victorian couple who used information bought on the dark web in an attempt to steal more than $150,000 have been jailed.
Paul Baker, 36, and Nathan Joseph, 31, were addicted to ice and reverted to stealing personal information from 17 people to pay for it, with their operation called "systemic and sophisticated".
The couple, who lived together in Ballarat, would buy whitegoods online with fraudulent credit cards before selling the items for cash to pay off drug debts from October 2018 to June 2019.
They pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including 15 counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Baker, said to have been the "instigator" in the offending, also pleaded guilty to blackmailing a doctor whose identification had been stolen.
This took the form of a threatening email to the man which suggested his career "may be in jeopardy" and that the fraudsters had "secrets" that his spouse didn't know.
The pair faced Judge Damian Murphy on Tuesday in the Victorian County Court. He described their conduct as a "systemic and sophisticated" invasion of digital privacy.
"It's fair to say they felt a sense of violation as they weren't to know what information had been obtained and the extent you would disseminate that," Judge Murphy told the court.
Baker was handed a total sentence of two years and four months in prison. He will be eligible for parole in one year and three months.
Joseph was sentenced to a total of 10 months in prison, followed by a 16-month community corrections order.
