Rejected (2) : How a Brooklyn Teen Hacked 75 Phones and Stole 1M in cryptocurrency

A 19-year-old Brooklyn man has been arrested for stealing more than $1 million in cryptocurrency in an identity theft scheme. But how could such a young person able to do that kind of a wired thing?

According to an article by the Daily Mail, Yousef Selassie stole the identities of more than 75 people through a scam where he was able to circumvent the two-factor authentication security measures to gain access to the email accounts of his victims.

Hijacking Technique Used

According to the indictment report, Yousef used a SIM swapping scam method to fraudulently transfer the cell phone numbers of more than 75 people across different states in the U.S to his Apple iPhone.

He then circumvented two-factor authentication security measures and intercepted text messages containing security codes required to reset passwords and access the victims’ online accounts, including cryptocurrency accounts. 

Yousef accessed online accounts of the victims, including but not limited to Dropbox, Yahoo, and Gmail, so that to determine whether the victims had cryptocurrency accounts. He then changed the passwords on accounts to prevent the victims from regaining control.

Yousef intentionally targeted and selected victims known to be active in cryptocurrency. He accessed accounts that belonged to victims in 20 different US states, and finally stealing at least $1 million in cryptocurrency.

Police Searches Made at Home

Investigators executed a search warrant at Yousef’s Brooklyn residence. They consequently recovered several electronic devices and a handwritten note that contained a seed phrase for a cryptocurrency wallet.

Furthermore, a search of an Apple iPhone X revealed artifacts linking Yousef to a number of the identified victims. Moreover, a search of a reconstituted wallet linked him with the theft of cryptocurrency worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  

The Plea

Yousef was arraigned at Manhattan Supreme Court on Dec. 18, but he pleaded not guilty.

He was charged with computer trespass, scheme to defraud, theft of money, identity theft, and computer tampering, among other charges.

Therefore, Justice Mark Dwyer ordered Yousef to surrender his passport and come to the court every week with a supervised-release program.