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26 thousand fraudulent transactions have borne fruit, but they will have to reap them already behind bars.
A 34-year-old American named Delano Bush from Southfield, Michigan, recently pleaded guilty to participating in a multimillion-dollar mobile phone fraud. A group calling itself "Clear Gods" used the stolen personal data of victims to buy thousands of new phones on credit.
According to the statement of the US prosecutor Dawn N. Ison, more than 26 thousand fraudulent transactions were made as part of the detected scam, which led to total losses of more than $ 28 million.
From June 2017 to September 2019, Bush and his associates illegally obtained personal data of victims, formed contracts with the communications provider AT&T on the basis of them, and bought mobile devices on credit. Bush pleaded guilty on December 6, just a couple of days ago.
Prosecutor Ayson noted: "The guilty plea is a significant development in this multi-year investigation. As the case shows, identity theft is constantly evolving, and fraudsters are finding new ways to use and abuse victims ' personal information."
Bush faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud. According to the plea agreement, the man will be required to pay compensation to AT&T in the amount of at least $ 1.5 million. The sentencing date is set for April 25, 2024.
It is reported that the participants of "Clear Gods" first bought the leaked personal information from various sources, including the so-called "Internet dumps", and then used it to open mobile accounts with AT&T. After passing a credit check, they added themselves or their accomplices as "authorized users" to fraudulent accounts and purchased devices recorded in the account of victims whose data was stolen.
Often, to successfully conclude contracts with the provider, attackers used the services of corrupt AT&T employees or even impersonated network employees themselves, stealing work tablets from AT&T retail offices.
The criminals then visited various retail stores, mainly Apple, in different states of the country for the so-called "service upgrade", purchasing new devices at the expense of fraudulent accounts. After that, the criminals canceled credit obligations from the accounts used, including using access to the AT&T network, and then repeated the procedure in another retail store.
Department of Homeland Security (HSI) Special Agent in Detroit Angie M. Salazar noted: "Cooperation between federal, state and local partners is essential to successfully investigate and prosecute these complex fraud operations. By stopping these schemes, HSI special Agents and our partners are helping protect the livelihoods of hardworking Americans both here in Michigan and across the country."
A 34-year-old American named Delano Bush from Southfield, Michigan, recently pleaded guilty to participating in a multimillion-dollar mobile phone fraud. A group calling itself "Clear Gods" used the stolen personal data of victims to buy thousands of new phones on credit.
According to the statement of the US prosecutor Dawn N. Ison, more than 26 thousand fraudulent transactions were made as part of the detected scam, which led to total losses of more than $ 28 million.
From June 2017 to September 2019, Bush and his associates illegally obtained personal data of victims, formed contracts with the communications provider AT&T on the basis of them, and bought mobile devices on credit. Bush pleaded guilty on December 6, just a couple of days ago.
Prosecutor Ayson noted: "The guilty plea is a significant development in this multi-year investigation. As the case shows, identity theft is constantly evolving, and fraudsters are finding new ways to use and abuse victims ' personal information."
Bush faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit fraud. According to the plea agreement, the man will be required to pay compensation to AT&T in the amount of at least $ 1.5 million. The sentencing date is set for April 25, 2024.
It is reported that the participants of "Clear Gods" first bought the leaked personal information from various sources, including the so-called "Internet dumps", and then used it to open mobile accounts with AT&T. After passing a credit check, they added themselves or their accomplices as "authorized users" to fraudulent accounts and purchased devices recorded in the account of victims whose data was stolen.
Often, to successfully conclude contracts with the provider, attackers used the services of corrupt AT&T employees or even impersonated network employees themselves, stealing work tablets from AT&T retail offices.
The criminals then visited various retail stores, mainly Apple, in different states of the country for the so-called "service upgrade", purchasing new devices at the expense of fraudulent accounts. After that, the criminals canceled credit obligations from the accounts used, including using access to the AT&T network, and then repeated the procedure in another retail store.
Department of Homeland Security (HSI) Special Agent in Detroit Angie M. Salazar noted: "Cooperation between federal, state and local partners is essential to successfully investigate and prosecute these complex fraud operations. By stopping these schemes, HSI special Agents and our partners are helping protect the livelihoods of hardworking Americans both here in Michigan and across the country."
