Following the Sim-Swap Crypto Fraud, A UK Hacker May Be Extradited To The United States.

Following a sim-swap scheme that targeted a Boston cryptocurrency broker in mid-2021, a 24-year-old British man faces extradition to the United States.

Following a crypto fraud in May and July 2017, Robert Barr, 24, faces extradition to the United States. Barr and Londoner Corey De Rose allegedly defrauded Reggie Middleton, a Boston broker, before transferring the money to another crypto wallet, according to US officials.

When a scammer switches an individual’s phone number to another device without their permission, it’s known as a “sim-swap.” This allows the scammer to get communications related with that phone number, such as email addresses, passwords, and, of course, crypto wallets.

Barr and American Anthony Frances Faulks hacked a woman’s phone in May 2017, making off with just under half a million pounds and diverting the funds to several cryptocurrency wallets.

Barr faces eight accusations in Georgia, including wire fraud and identity theft, according to US prosecutors, following grand jury investigations in 2020.

Barr was arrested in February 2021 by Scottish police after the FBI alerted them to his actions. Barr was held in custody after appearing in court before to the start of extradition proceedings in April.

In October 2021, he was released on bond to his mother in Kilbirnie.

Barr’s request to dismiss the continuing investigation and arrest warrant was denied last week. Later this year, he is set to face an extradition hearing.

Once part of a group of teenage hackers, including Barr, a former friend said that Barr would sometimes go too far.

“We were young, around 15-16ish, and, for me, it was fun…You could take the accounts, often inactive and unused, so no loss to anyone, and sell them to other people who wanted that username. I don’t think Robert fully understood the severity of his actions and saw it as just stuff happening on his computer.”

Barr’s mother and stepfather claimed ignorance and refused to speak to the media.

Last year, AT&T was sued after a client lost $560,000 in cryptocurrency due to sim-swap fraud, while another guy lost $7,300 from his Coinbase account due to a T-Mobile account sim-swap attack.

Because funds are stolen owing to a stolen identity rather than a security failure on their end, cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase do not repay funds lost through SIM-swap fraud.

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