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.
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 Department of Justice Wednesday.
A well-worn tactic known as SIM-swapping – a scam involving fooling cellphone carriers into swapping access with a SIM that has been compromised – was used in order to gain access to a person’s financial and crypto accounts.
Ten victims from around the U.S. fell victim to their scheme who managed to steal more than $530,000 in crypto, according to the release. Meiggs also took control of two victim’s “OG” social media accounts. The accounts involved were not named.
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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