London Man Gets 2.5 Years for SIM-Swap Crypto Theft

The defendant pleaded guilty on 28 September, ten days before sentencing, to conspiracy to commit fraud and transferring criminal property.

A 25-year-old man has been jailed for two and a half years for his involvement in SIM-swap fraud, which saw four people lose £200,000 worth of crypto in November 2021.

According to the City of London Police, Ajay Shinjin, also known as AJ Marley Cruz, received more than £44,000 from the proceeds of crime and used the money on luxurious vacations to Dubai, an expensive apartment, and gold-plated dental grills.

How the Swap Worked and Where the Money Went

It began in early November 2021, when BT spotted unauthorized activity on its systems. Customer phone numbers were being moved onto SIM cards controlled by criminals, a practice known as SIM swapping.

With a number under their control, the fraudsters could receive one-time passcodes by text and use them to get into a victim’s bank account or crypto wallet.

BT then identified the devices receiving the transferred numbers. Each was eSIM-enabled and had two IMEI numbers, the serial codes that identify a handset. Data from the telecommunications company led to several suspects, and Shinjin, aka AJ Marley Cruz, was attributed to four of the devices.