US Authorities charged nine individuals over Crypto Thefts
|- Three members of the group were former employees at mobile phone providers.
- The ring used Discord and Telegram to access data.
Last week, US authorities charged nine individuals with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. These nine individuals were part of a cybercrime ring who stole cryptocurrencies by hijacking sim cards and phone numbers. The group, known as “The Community”, consists of 8 Americans and an Irishman. Their fraudulent activities spread across Florida, California, Iowa, New York, Missouri, Connecticut, and Arizona.
After further investigation, it was found that three of the members from the group were former employees at mobile phone providers. It helped them to gain personal data from their companies’ subscribers. The ring used Discord and Telegram to access data. The scammers reportedly obtained victim’s information then either bribing or impersonating cellular service company employees to obtain a new SIM card activated with the victim’s information.
The US law enforcement agencies are looking to deport the Irishman belonging to the scam that amounted nearly $2.5 million. The course of action was first suspected when a mother in Michigan overheard her son pretending to be an AT&T employee and called investigators. Later, investigators found out necessary data that the ring had obtained.
The US Department of Justice further said:
“The indictment alleges that, once “The Community” had control of a victim’s phone number, the phone number was leveraged as a gateway to gain control of online accounts such as a victim’s email, cloud storage, and cryptocurrency exchange accounts. For example, “The Community” would use their control of victims’ phone numbers to reset passwords on online accounts and/or request two-factor authentication (2FA) codes that allowed them to bypass security measures.”
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.