In California, police arrested another hacker on August 17 after he was accused of sim hijacking, then stealing cryptocurrencies.
Xzavyer Narvaez, 19, is charged with seven counts of cybercrime, including cryptocurrency theft and identity fraud. The charges make him the first person in the United States to be charged with phone hijacking (also known as sim swapping) to steal Bitcoin. Earlier this month, police in Florida arrested a 25-year-old man after he was accused of stealing cryptocurrency using the same technique Narvaez used, but there have been no charges filed for phone hijacking.
Narvaez apparently spent large amounts of Bitcoin on sports cars. Police were able to find that Narvaez purchased a 2018 McLaren, for which he paid part of the amount in Bitcoin, and the rest of the amount with money he received from the sale of his Audi R8, which he had purchased in 2017 entirely in Bitcoin. Through investigations conducted, in just 2 months, Narvaez's account transferred 157 Bitcoin, which is worth about a million dollars today.
But how did they locate him?
According to reports, US mobile phone provider AT&T provided authorities with information about the victims' IMEI codes and other information. Investigators have identified three victims, one of whom fell victim to Narvaez last year and lost more than $150,000.
Through a forum, there is information that the 19-year-old used an Instagram account (now deleted) in which he showed off his new McLaren, with the caption "Live fast, die young".
