A San Antonio, Texas court has ruled against a couple on charges of SIM swap fraud. This is stated in statement US Department of Justice.
According to court documents, 22-year-old Andrew Percy Trujillo and 34-year-old Zena Eliza Dawnson stole $250,000 in cryptocurrency using this scheme.
During the investigation, it turned out that the man worked in an AT&T mobile phone store. Using his official position, he tied Dawnson’s phone as an additional user to the victims’ SIM cards.
This method allowed attackers to redirect messages and calls to another device. As a result, the spouses gained access to other people’s cryptocurrency accounts and transferred assets to their wallet.
“SIM swapping is a rapidly growing scam that everyone should be aware of. […] Anyone using two-factor authentication should keep in mind that this method is not 100% secure. Users still need to keep an eye on any suspicious activity related to their phones,” said prosecutor Jaime Esparza.
The defendants pleaded guilty. Trujillo was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years’ probation, and also ordered to pay compensation in the amount of $282,000. His accomplice received two months in prison, five years’ probation and a similar monetary penalty.
In September 2021, a Texas resident filed a lawsuit against AT&T. In his opinion, he became a victim of a SIM-card substitution due to the fault of the telecommunications giant and lost 159.8 ETH.
Earlier, the Central District Court of California rejected the complaint of the founder of the group of bitcoin investors BitAngels Michael Turpin to AT&T for damages.
The plaintiff claimed that in 2018 the company assisted fraudsters in replacing the SIM card, because of which he lost $24 million worth of cryptocurrency. The investor demanded to pay him $200 million. However, the court did not find evidence of fraud and negligence of the company’s employees.
Recall that in March 2023, US authorities arrested Chinese citizen Miles Guo on charges of fraud with digital assets worth $ 1 billion. He fraudulently forced his victims to invest in the G | CLUBS online club.
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press CTRL+ENTER
Cryplogger Newsletters: Keep your finger on the pulse of the bitcoin industry!
A San Antonio, Texas court has ruled against a couple on charges of SIM swap fraud. This is stated in statement US Department of Justice.
According to court documents, 22-year-old Andrew Percy Trujillo and 34-year-old Zena Eliza Dawnson stole $250,000 in cryptocurrency using this scheme.
During the investigation, it turned out that the man worked in an AT&T mobile phone store. Using his official position, he tied Dawnson’s phone as an additional user to the victims’ SIM cards.
This method allowed attackers to redirect messages and calls to another device. As a result, the spouses gained access to other people’s cryptocurrency accounts and transferred assets to their wallet.
“SIM swapping is a rapidly growing scam that everyone should be aware of. […] Anyone using two-factor authentication should keep in mind that this method is not 100% secure. Users still need to keep an eye on any suspicious activity related to their phones,” said prosecutor Jaime Esparza.
The defendants pleaded guilty. Trujillo was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years’ probation, and also ordered to pay compensation in the amount of $282,000. His accomplice received two months in prison, five years’ probation and a similar monetary penalty.
In September 2021, a Texas resident filed a lawsuit against AT&T. In his opinion, he became a victim of a SIM-card substitution due to the fault of the telecommunications giant and lost 159.8 ETH.
Earlier, the Central District Court of California rejected the complaint of the founder of the group of bitcoin investors BitAngels Michael Turpin to AT&T for damages.
The plaintiff claimed that in 2018 the company assisted fraudsters in replacing the SIM card, because of which he lost $24 million worth of cryptocurrency. The investor demanded to pay him $200 million. However, the court did not find evidence of fraud and negligence of the company’s employees.
Recall that in March 2023, US authorities arrested Chinese citizen Miles Guo on charges of fraud with digital assets worth $ 1 billion. He fraudulently forced his victims to invest in the G | CLUBS online club.
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press CTRL+ENTER
Cryplogger Newsletters: Keep your finger on the pulse of the bitcoin industry!
