Serial conman Peter Foster has been refused bail after appearing in a Sydney court to face 16 fraud charges related to an online scam.

Foster was extradited from Queensland by officers from Sydney City Police Area Command on Monday night and charged at Mascot Police Station.

The 57-year-old was refused bail and appeared at Central Local Court on Tuesday.

Foster has been charged with five counts of publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage, 10 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime with intent to conceal.

His lawyer did not apply for bail in court, where it was formally refused by magistrate Robert Williams.

NSW Police will allege in court that Foster defrauded a man in Hong Kong of nearly $2 million through an online scam.

Foster was nabbed while strolling on a Port Douglas beach on Thursday.

Hours before his arrest, he posted about going on a diet and looking for love on social media.

“I am on a quest to lose those 20 kilos before Christmas so I may find a new love to kiss under the mistletoe,” Foster wrote.

Foster has been in and out of jail since 1995 for fraud offences, including a multimillion=dollar weight-loss scam.

He sparked turmoil for former British prime minister Tony Blair in 2002 when – acting as a financial adviser – he helped Mr Blair’s wife Cherie buy two discounted apartments.