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US Man Pleads Guilty to SIM-Swap Attacks Targeting High-Profile Crypto Accounts
Eric Meiggs focused his attacks on those he considered original gangsters of crypto social media.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:48 p.m. Published Apr 29, 2021, 10:46 a.m.
A Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a SIM-swapping scheme targeting social media personalities he thought possessed large amounts of cryptocurrency.
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Eric Meiggs admitted he and one other co-conspirator focused their attacks on those they considered "OG" or "original gangster" of crypto social media, according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice Wednesday.
A well-worn tactic known as SIM-swapping – a scam involving fooling cellphone carriers into swapping access with a SIM (subscriber identity module) that has been compromised – was used to gain access to a person's financial and crypto accounts.
Ten people from around the U.S. fell victim to the scheme, whichstole more than $530,000 in crypto, according to the release. Meiggs also took control of two victims' "OG" social media accounts. The accounts involved were not named.
See also: Russian Police Arrest Alleged Counterfeiters Selling $13M in Fake Money for Crypto: Report
The man has pleaded guilty to each of seven counts charging him with conspiracy, wire fraud, computer fraud and abuse as well as aggravated identity theft. Meiggs is scheduled to be sentenced in September and faces a mandatory sentence of two years in prison
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