How Aussie criminal gangs are using an app to organise underworld hits in echo of Hollywood blockbuster movie

Criminal gangs organize underworld hits including firebombings, murders and drive-bys through a secret underworld app, similar to the one used in the John Wick films.

The app, which went live in recent months, is called an Airtasker for criminals, with members advertising for a ‘job’ that is then picked up by a contractor.

Designed by the equivalent of underworld ‘management’, the app bears a striking resemblance to the app used in the hit Hollywood blockbuster John Wick starring Keanu Reeves.

In John Wick, ‘hits’ are digitally advertised to a network of hitmen and payment is made to the successful hitman.

The new app was created to allow a select group of members to commit and pay for violent crimes anonymously, an Australian underworld source said The age.

An underworld source has claimed Australian gangland bosses are using an app similar to Airtasker to commit and pay for violent crimes including murder, robberies, drive-by shootings and firebombings.

The source said the system was designed by the underworld equivalent of ‘management’ and allows members to use an encrypted platform outside Australia.

The name of the app remains secret, with potential app users requiring verification by an existing member before being granted access.

New members are assigned a codename by the app’s administrators, keeping their identity secret and preserving the anonymity of the app and its users.

Vacancies can be advertised by any member, but are usually commissioned by senior officials in organized crime.

The jobs – which include firebombing, robbery, murder, shooting, assault, armed robbery, drive-by, gun supply and getaway – are accepted by other senior players responsible for running gangs and crews.

Specific details about a goal or timing are not shared until the job is accepted by a contractor.

Once accepted, the crime boss who posted the job and the contact who accepted it go to an encrypted private chat platform where they discuss details and negotiate payment.

The source explained that once the terms are discussed, the contractor either assigns the “mission” to someone in his crew or outsources it to another criminal.

The gang boss then pays the contractor a secure payment method such as cryptocurrency and a fee for the app operators is also included.

App administrators are aware of the real identities of the members, but they do not know details of the posted jobs due to the use of external encrypted chats.

Members are permanently banned if they violate the app’s terms of service, including failing to pay a contractor or complete a job.

The app bears a striking similarity to the app used in the hit Hollywood blockbuster John Wick starring Keanu Reeves

The source added that Australian law enforcement agencies were aware of the app but failed to infiltrate its secure encryption.

The app’s design also limited the data that could be used if police were able to obtain a working version of the app and a password – as a job posting disappears within an hour of posting it and members are protected by codenames.

The app also has a built-in self-destruct function that activates if a code is not entered every 24 hours, the source told The Age.

The NSW Crime Commission’s annual report shows criminal groups used encrypted communications at an “unprecedented rate” between 2022 and 2023.

“Organized violence is an increasingly professionalized industry, with a growing number of service providers for hire,” the report said.

‘Information available to the commission indicates that Australian organized crime groups have invested in the development of bespoke encrypted messaging applications, both for their own use and for sale to other syndicates.’