Two participants in a complex SIM card swap scam that led to the loss of about $280,000 from a victim’s bank account have been charged by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit (CFEU).
Raymond Ortiz and Thomas Simmons allegedly worked together to execute the scam using the victim’s cellphone, which was discovered through a thorough investigation.
Investigators claim that Thomas Simmons bribed Raymond Ortiz, a worker at a Florida cell phone store, to switch the SIM card on the victim’s phone.
Simmons was able to circumvent two-factor authentication security procedures on a banking app by using the swap to gain remote access of the victim’s phone. Simmons accessed the account and transferred money after waiting until the victim was unable to stop them while they were flying.
The deception had already taken place when the victim landed and discovered their phone was broken. According to reports, Simmons bought cashier’s checks for personal use with the stolen funds.
Simmons will be extradited to Florida after being apprehended by U.S. Marshals in California. Simmons was already facing a federal indictment for bank fraud at the time of this offense.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office captured Ortiz in Tampa.
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Both people are charged with the following:
- Over $100,000 in grand theft
- Using personal identification information illegally
- Simmons is also charged with further money laundering offenses.
“These defendants used a SIM card swap scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from an unsuspecting victim who was on a flight — and only realized that the fraud took place after he was back on the ground,” stated Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. These sim swap offenders will only be exchanging their freedom for jail time, thanks to our Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit and our law enforcement partners.
