Latest news with #SIMswapping
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Palm Beach Police: 'SIM swap' scam tried to steal more than $200,000 from Palm Beacher
Two Westlake residents have been arrested by Palm Beach Police, who say the pair executed an elaborate financial fraud known as "SIM swapping" that attempted to steal more than $200,000 from a Palm Beach resident. And the scheme could extend far beyond the island, police said. The pair were taken into custody May 28, Palm Beach Police spokesman Capt. Will Rothrock said. A 29-year-old woman faces charges of organized fraud and fraudulent use of personal information of a person age 60 or older, and a 31-year-old man was arrested on a charge of fraudulent use of personal information, according to arrest reports. Both remained at the Palm Beach County Jail on May 29. The woman was held without bond, and a Palm Beach County judge ordered that she have no contact with the Palm Beach resident or the man arrested in the case, according to court records. She also cannot have any devices that can access the internet, and she is not allowed to use the phone except to contact her attorney, court records show. The man's bond amount was set at $350,000, and he also cannot use or have any devices that connect to the internet, court records show. He was directed not to contact the Palm Beach resident or the woman, and while in jail, he cannot use the phone except to contact an attorney, according to court records. If he makes bond, he will be on in-home arrest with a GPS monitor, records show. On April 10, a Palm Beach resident called police to say someone had fraudulently accessed his AT&T and bank accounts, and had tried to transfer money and login to several websites, according to an arrest report. The Palm Beach resident said he received a call on April 8 from someone who said they were with AT&T, and that he needed to validate his phone numbers using a code sent to him via text message, an arrest report said. About 20 minutes after that phone call, phone numbers connected to the resident's AT&T account stopped working, police said. The scam is known as "SIM swapping" or "SIM hijacking," according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center, also called the IC3. Fraudsters will gain control of a person's phone number and then use it to access their banking and other financial and personal accounts, the agency said. The resident provided the code that he received to the person, but later discovered that the code was used to forward his phone number to a different provider, Verizon, police said. By giving that code to the person who said they were from AT&T, he allowed them to complete the final step to move all three of the phone numbers on his account to the other carrier, police wrote in the arrest report. In 2024, there were 982 complaints of SIM swapping with a total reported loss of $25,983,946, the IC3 said in its annual report. The previous year, 1,075 SIM swapping complaints were made with a reported loss of $48,798,103, according to the IC3. Once the phone numbers were transferred, someone tried to withdraw money and make a wire transfer from the Palm Beach resident's bank account, police said. Someone also successfully took over one of the man's email accounts. Transactions made through the resident's accounts included $2,300 sent via Zelle to a St. Petersburg resident, $77.97 spent at a Circle K in The Acreage, $1,500 in ATM withdrawals, and a $215 Venmo payment, an arrest report said. There was also a $4,006.08 payment made to designer clothing retailer Farfetch U.K., along with Airbnb charges of $2,341.79 and $660, an arrest report said. Because the resident was concerned that his Apple account had been compromised, he used the "Find My" feature on his iPhone, which can be used to locate devices connected to an Apple account, police said. The resident saw an unknown iPhone on Liberty Lane in Westlake and told police that he has never been to that address and has no connections there. A Palm Beach Police detective later drove by that address several times and saw two vehicles, a 2022 black Cadillac Escalade and 2024 gray BMW SUV, parked there. Both vehicles were registered to the 31-year-old man, whose driver's license lists an address in North Lauderdale but who police learned was staying at the house in Westlake with the 29-year-old woman, who shares registration on the BMW SUV. Palm Beach Police detectives discovered that the ATM withdrawals from the resident's account were made at a bank in The Acreage, about 2 miles from the house in Westlake, an arrest report said. On April 9, the Palm Beach resident received a request to wire transfer $138,237, which was unsuccessful, police said. That same day, there was another request for a wire transfer for $82,469. The banker in that case confirmed the wire with who he believed to be the account holder, and the transfer was initiated, police said. However, once the resident received an email to confirm the transfer, he called the bank's fraud team and was able to secure the money, but it could take up to three months to get that money back, the arrest report said. Both wire transfer requests were made to a Pompano Beach resident, police said. The resident hired a private investigator who recovered photos taken by the Liberty Lane-located iPhone after someone took over the resident's Apple account, police said. Data for seven photos show all were taken at that home in Westlake, according to the arrest report. On May 7, a Palm Beach Police detective talked with a person in Las Vegas, Nevada, who had been the victim of a similar scheme and had reported the crime to the FBI. That person gave police about 50 images someone took after gaining control of his Apple account, and officers found data that connected the photos back to the Westlake address. The images provided by the person in Nevada also included photos of driver's licenses, passports, bank account numbers, emails and more, an arrest report said. When Palm Beach Police and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office searched the Westlake home on a warrant on May 5, they found the 29-year-old woman and 31-year-old man, along with a Louis Vuitton backpack, three iPhones, two pairs of sunglasses and a yellow notebook with "Work $" written on it, the arrest report said. Inside the notebook, officers said they found bank account details, Social Security numbers, addresses, names and more personal details about more than 50 people in Florida and across the United States. Officers also said they found electronic devices and a ledger that contained the Palm Beach resident's personal information. They also took $15,243 in cash from the woman's bedroom, the arrest report said. Detectives determined that once the couple gained access to a person's phone line, they could "circumvent two-factor authentication and gain access to victims' financial accounts, resulting in substantial unauthorized wire transfers and fraudulent transactions," the arrest report said. Palm Beach has cautioned residents to be wary of potential scams. "Most of these cases nationally go unsolved," Rothrock said. "The work and tenacity that our detectives put into this to follow the leads to the end and bring a successful conclusion are noteworthy." He added that the department is grateful for PBSO's help in the investigation, including to serve the search warrant. "Finding local perpetrators was a rarity and did make the investigation coordination smoother," Rothrock said. Those who believe they may have been victims of the scam should call the Palm Beach Police Department's non-emergency number at 561-838-5454, he said. This story was updated to add new information. Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@ Subscribe today to support our journalism. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach 'SIM swap' scam could extend across U.S., police say
Fox News
10-05-2025
- Fox News
How SIM swapping led to a $1.8M cyber fraud case
A San Fernando Valley, California, man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after orchestrating a massive fraud operation that targeted dozens of victims, many of them elderly. Oren David Sela, 36, stole mail, hijacked phone numbers through SIM swapping, and used victims' identities to drain bank accounts, stealing over $1.8 million. Here is how the scheme worked and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim of a similar attack. SIM swapping is a form of identity theft where a scammer tricks a mobile carrier into transferring your phone number to a new SIM card they control. Once they hijack your number, they can intercept text messages, including verification codes, and gain access to your bank accounts, emails and more. There are two common ways scammers pull off SIM swaps: Once they control your phone number, they can: SIM swapping turns your phone number into a master key for stealing your identity and money. Between November 2021 and October 2023, Sela stole mail from homes in Beverly Hills, California, and nearby neighborhoods. He collected personal information, including: Using this information, Sela carried out SIM swapping attacks to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) protections. This allowed him to: Sela made hundreds of fraudulent withdrawals and transfers. He attempted to steal nearly $2.6 million and successfully stole at least $1.8 million. Sela often spent the stolen money on luxury goods, including a nearly $17,000 watch. In 2022, he was arrested in Beverly Hills and found with nearly $25,000 in cash, various pieces of expensive jewelry, and numerous fraudulent debit and credit cards belonging to elderly victims. Despite this arrest, Sela continued committing fraud. During two subsequent searches of his properties in 2022 and 2023, law enforcement discovered more than $70,000 in cash, stolen mail, fraudulent identification documents, and banking information linked to dozens of victims. In October 2024, Sela pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. On April 22, 2025, he was sentenced to 61 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,818,369 in restitution. Two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security, but it is only effective if the attacker cannot access your phone. When scammers hijack your phone number, they can intercept 2FA codes sent by text and quickly take control of your accounts. Once inside your email or banking app, they can: They do not even need your password if they can control your number. Take these important steps to secure your information: 1. Monitor your accounts: Regularly review your bank statements, credit card statements, and financial accounts for unauthorized activity. Report any suspicious transactions immediately. 2. Lock your SIM card: Set a PIN on your SIM card through your mobile carrier. Without it, your number cannot be moved without your permission. 3. Be cautious about sharing personal information: Limit the amount of personal information you share online, especially on social media. Scammers often use small details like birthdays, pet names, or locations to guess security questions or impersonate you. 4. Place a fraud alert: Contact one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) and request a fraud alert. This makes it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. 5. Check your credit reports: Obtain free copies of your credit reports and review them carefully for suspicious activity. If you find errors or signs of fraud, report them right away. 6. Freeze your credit: A credit freeze prevents new accounts from being opened in your name without your consent. It is free to set up and does not affect your credit score. 7. Use an authenticator app, not SMS for two-factor authentication: Use apps like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator instead of relying on text message codes, which can be intercepted if your phone number is stolen. 8. Strengthen your passwords: Create strong, unique passwords for each account. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords securely. Get more details about my best expert-reviewed Password Managers of 2025 here. 9. Invest in identity theft protection: Identity Theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft. 10. Be cautious of phishing attempts and use strong antivirus software: Watch out for emails, texts, or calls asking for personal information. Always verify the source before providing sensitive details. Installing antivirus software on all your devices can help protect you by blocking malicious links, detecting phishing attempts, and stopping malware before it can steal your private information. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices. If scammers can steal your phone number, they can steal your money, your accounts, and even your identity. SIM swapping is a serious threat because it gives criminals a shortcut around your strongest defenses. Take action today to protect your phone, your accounts, and your personal information. A few small steps can make the difference between staying safe and facing a devastating financial loss. Have you ever been targeted by a SIM swapping scam or identity theft? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
