Security News > 2021 > February > Eight Brits arrested after probe into SIM-swapping scam targeting US celebs

Brit cops have cuffed eight men in England and Scotland amid a probe into SIM-swapping attacks on high-profile US targets - including sports stars, musicians, and "Influencers" - that had money and personal data stolen.

Last year unauthorised third parties took over the Twitter accounts of 130 celebrities including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and former US president Barrack Obama.

The attackers - not linked to these latest arrests - accessed Twitter's internal account management tools following a successful social-engineering exercise.

Paul Creffield, head of operations within the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said in a prepared remark: "This network targeted a large number of victims in the US and regularly attacked those they believed would be lucrative targets, such as famous sports stars and musicians."

Creffield said the network "Stole large sums from their victims, from either their bank accounts or Bitcoin wallets".

Michael D'Ambrosio, assistant director of the US Secret Service Office of Investigations, thanked all the domestic and international agencies involved, saying law enforcement bods are "Ready to combat transnational crimes and hold offenders accountable".

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/02/10/eight_arrested_sim_swapping_scam/