During a rare public address, he unveiled the existence of a foreign 'A-Team' of spies targeting Australia, focusing on infiltrating political, economic, and defense circles by recruiting Australians with privileged information.

Burgess, who leads the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), disclosed that this unit has been using fake online personas to entice Australian academics, politicians, and business individuals, offering financial incentives and using sophisticated but imperfect tradecraft.

The spies, under the guise of various professionals, seek to move communications to encrypted channels and even propose overseas meetings.

In his speech, Burgess provided instances where the espionage was successful, including a case involving a former politician who compromised their country's interests.

He emphasized the threat by noting that thousands of Australians openly share their security credentials online, making them easy espionage targets.

By revealing such sensitive information, Burgess aims to alert Australians and signal to the foreign operatives that Australia is aware of their actions, going as far as confronting the leader of the foreign spy team.

As part of the intelligence-sharing Five Eyes alliance, Australia's exposure to international espionage is substantial, and this announcement serves as a warning to both potential recruits and foreign intelligence agencies.