US DOJ Seizes $5 Million Stolen in SIM Swap Attacks, Prosecuting Cryptocurrency Theft

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint targeting over $5 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) allegedly stolen through sophisticated SIM swapping attacks across the United States. The complaint outlines thefts occurring between October 29, 2022, and March 21, 2023, involving cryptocurrency taken from five victims’ wallets. The perpetrators used a technique called SIM swapping to gain control of victims’ phone numbers and subsequently access their security codes, allowing them to infiltrate the victims’ accounts and steal their cryptocurrency.