Amir Hossein Golshan, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of wire fraud, and one count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/downtown-los-angeles-sim-swapper-pleads-guilty-hacking-instagram-users-accounts
Amir Hossein Golshan was busy.
According to his plea agreement, from at least April 2019 to February 2023, Golshan knowingly executed multiple online schemes to defraud hundreds of victims through various online scams and unauthorized intrusions into victims’ digital accounts, including social media account takeovers, Zelle payment fraud, and impersonating Apple support. In total, Golshan’s entire scheme caused approximately $740,000 in losses to hundreds of victims over several years.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/downtown-los-angeles-sim-swapper-pleads-guilty-hacking-instagram-users-accounts
He first pled guilty to SIM swapping targets to gain access to various social media accounts. He then ransomed control of the account back to the victims. At least one victim did not pay.
Golshan also admitted to advertising fake services on Instagram and then taking victims’ money from who hired him. Golshan claimed he could provide non-existent services such as verified Instagram badges for $300-$500 per account.
During Golshan’s SIM swapping and Zelle fraud schemes, Golshan fraudulently received approximately $82,000 in payments from approximately 500 victims, usually in increments of $300 to $500 per victim.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/downtown-los-angeles-sim-swapper-pleads-guilty-hacking-instagram-users-accounts
$82,000 divided by $400, the middle ground for $300-$500, ends up being 205 victims. The range is 164 victims to 273 victims for $300-$500 per victim.
In his last scheme, Golshan admitted to pretending to be Apple Support to trick victims into giving him access to their iCloud accounts.
For example, in August 2022, Golshan called a victim from Apple Support’s official telephone number and pretended to be an Apple Support employee. Golshan told the victim that Apple Support wanted to give the victim an advanced security protocol to protect the victim’s iCloud account. Golshan then caused a two-step authentication code to be sent to the victim’s phone.
Through these misrepresentations, Golshan fraudulently induced the victim to tell him this six-digit security code, which allowed Golshan to gain access to the victim’s iCloud account. Golshan then changed the email address on the victim’s iCloud account to an email address that he controlled. Golshan then stole valuable digital property from the victim, including an NFT valued at approximately $319,000 and approximately $70,000 worth of cryptocurrency. Later that same day, defendant sold the stolen NFT for $130,000 in cryptocurrency on a NFT marketplace.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/downtown-los-angeles-sim-swapper-pleads-guilty-hacking-instagram-users-accounts
Sources:
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/downtown-los-angeles-sim-swapper-pleads-guilty-hacking-instagram-users-accounts
- https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66806663/united-states-v-golshan/
- https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66780176/united-states-v-golshan/
- https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66841723/united-states-v-golshan/
#ecrimebytes #electronic #truecrime #podcast #humor #funny #comedy #sim #simswap #fraud #instagram #nft #icloud #apple
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