SIM-swapping gang busted for targeting ‘influencers, sports stars, musicians’
International police say 10 suspects have been arrested for fraudulently accessing the phones of celebrities to steal about $100 million cryptocurrency as well as personal data throughout 2020. The sting included eight arrests in the United Kingdom as well as one in Malta and another in Belgium, according to Europol. The U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security and FBI were all involved in the operation, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said. As of Wednesday morning, it was unclear who the victims were, but the NCA said they included “well-known influencers, sports stars, musicians, and their families.” Neither Europol nor the NCA named the suspects. Victims’ phones were targeted via SIM swapping, police said. Unlike a direct hack on a person’s device, SIM swapping — also known as SIM hijacking — typically involves a little help from other humans. Scammers often take over a person’s digital profile by deactivating […]
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