The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought forth charges against a cunning trio for masterminding a SIM-swapping attack that resulted in the staggering theft of over $400 million from a company. The collapsed FTX exchange is suspected to be the victim of this nefarious plot. The accused, identified as Robert Powell, Emily Hernandez, and Carter Rohn, are said to have orchestrated a string of SIM-swapping scams targeting numerous victims from March 2021 to April 2023.
The indictment, filed in the esteemed U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, does not explicitly name FTX exchange. However, according to undisclosed sources cited by Bloomberg, the exchange is referred to as “Victim Company-1” in the court filing.
Moreover, the trio has been accused of participating in a plot to commit wire fraud and steal identities. The indictment also highlights the use of a SIM swap scam, which involves duping a telecommunications company into transferring a phone number from its rightful owner to a criminal’s SIM card.
According to the official court document, the scammers used fraudulent identities to gain access to an employee’s AT&T account at FTX. This gave them unrestricted access to the cryptocurrency exchange’s online accounts, resulting in the alleged embezzlement of a whopping $400 million.
Interestingly, back in November of 2022, FTX had shockingly filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11. This came after allegations surfaced of top executives pocketing funds meant for their clients.
But the plot thickens as the company’s founder and former CEO, the infamous Sam Bankman-Fried, also known as SBF, was arrested and charged with scamming FTX investors. In 2023, he was found guilty and now faces a lengthy prison sentence.
