The manipulative 'catfish' who pretended to be Lincoln Lewis to get women to fall in love with her repeatedly duped Optus into granting access to her victims accounts.
Lydia Abdelmalek, 29, from Melbourne, spent four years using fake Facebook profiles featuring the Home and Away star to lure women into her web of lies.
She conned two of her victims - whose names have been changed to Jess and Emma for anonymity - into romantic relationships, and both believed they were being courted by the famous actor, the ABC exclusively revealed.
Both women eventually realised, and after constant abuse, Emma commit suicide.
Jess blocked Abdelmalek and repeatedly changed her number, but Abdelmalek would always find a way to contact her.
Optus have issued an apology for their involvement in the scheme, unwittingly providing Abdelmalek vital information about her victims, including their phone numbers and home addresses, after they blocked her.
Abdelmalek (pictured) was found guilty of stalking six people and is due to be sentenced in June
After her victim, Jess, blocked her and changed mobile phone numbers, Abdelmalek used the information she knew about Jess to impersonate her.
She used the Optus website's Live Chat option to speak with an employee, who gave Abdelmalek access after she answered basic privacy questions.
These questions included:
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Phone number
She was also able to provide the date that the number was disconnected, and the Live Chat worker responded with Jess's new number.
The telecommunications giant said simple human error was to blame, after Abdelmalek repeatedly used the Live Chat feature on the website to retrieve information.
She only had to provide answers to three basic security questions to access her victim's new mobile number.
She then sought access to her victim's online account, and - while posing as Jess - asked the chat service to send a temporary password to her boyfriend's account.
The Optus staffer agreed, and sent the new login details through to an email that was not linked to the account.
Abdelmalek gained access to the victim's new address and other personal details.
Jess told a court she changed her number about six or seven times, and each time Abdelmalek found her again.
At one point, the Live Chat failed to realise the wrong birthday had been provided .
Abdelmalek repeatedly used the Live Chat feature on the website to retrieve information
Police were able to track Abdelmalek's IP address to the numerous attempts via Live Chat to access Jess's information.
She told the court she was forced 'to take time off work' in her attempts to always 'stay one step ahead' of her stalker.
In a statement, Optus said: 'This information was inadvertently shared due to a human error when the perpetrator undertook a'persistent program to fraudulently access the customer's information.'
They went on to say they would no longer be allowing 'high risk transactions', including changes to email addresses, in its live chat function.
Abdelmalek repeatedly used the Live Chat feature on the website to retrieve information
Actor Lincoln Lewis has slammed the manipulative 'catfish' who pretended to be the Home and Away star to get woman to fall in love with her
Lewis described Abdelmalek's entire elaborate ruse as 'sickening'.
'Having your number, address, personal details illegally obtained & photos doctored was scary. Having them used to catfish people is sickening,' he wrote on Twitter.
'But nothing can give back or make right what this sick person did and took away from the victims.
'For everyone, but especially for those with kids, know who you or they are talking to online. be absolutely sure of it! Social media can be great but also a scary place as there are sick twisted people out there. Be safe.
'I also want to take this time to thank the incredible police & detectives who have worked tirelessly on this case over the last 8 years. You see the worst actions in people yet never give up. You are amazing. Thank you.'
Abdelmalek was found guilty of stalking six people and is due to be sentenced in June, the ABC reported.
She was able to deceive the women and manipulate them into becoming fearful for their lives.
Lydia Abdelmalek (pictured), 29, from Melbourne, spent four years of her life tricking women using fake Facebook profiles
She used profiles for Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis and Hollyoaks and Strictly Come Dancing heart-throb Danny Mac (pictured) to lure women into her web of lies
Emma went to primary school with Lincoln Lewis - the son of rugby league legend Wally Lewis - who is best known for portraying Geoff Campbell on Home and Away.
Emma worked as a flight attendant on international flights, and in 2011 she received a friend request from a Facebook profile claiming to be Lincoln Lewis. She had previously dated a friend of his.
The pair began chatting and soon developed a romantic relationship online.
They arranged to meet each other but he would suddenly cancel,
