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10 Arrested Over SIM-Swap Hacks That Stole $100M in Crypto From Celebrities: Europol
The alleged international criminal network targeted online influencers, sports stars, musicians and their families in the U.S.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:09 p.m. Published Feb 10, 2021, 12:35 p.m.
Crime-fighting agency Europol says 10 people have been arrested for SIM-swap attacks that stole over $100 million in cryptocurrency from celebrities.
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- According to a Wednesday announcement, eight individuals were arrested on Feb. 9 in an international operation coordinated by Europol, following two arrests made previously in Malta and Belgium.
- All 10 are said to be part of a global criminal network that carried out SIM swapping attacks in the U.S. throughout 2020 and targeted online influencers, sports stars, musicians and their families.
- SIM swapping involves taking over victims’ phone numbers and then using cellphone authentication methods to access their apps or bank and cryptocurrency accounts by changing passwords.
- To apprehend the group, Europol worked with law enforcement authorities from the U.K, the U.S, Belgium, Malta and Canada in a year-long investigation.
Read more: Europol, Spanish Police Bust Alleged Scam Posing as Crypto Investment Training Firm
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- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
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- The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. said on Thursday that a subsidiary received a no-action letter from the U.S. SEC on offerings of tokenized real-world assets.
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