PANews reported on May 13 that according to Cointelegraph, Eric Council Jr., an accomplice in the hacking of the US SEC official X account, was exposed for illegally profiting $50,000 through a SIM card swap attack. New evidence submitted by the prosecution on May 12 shows that Council provided SIM hijacking services under the Telegram account "easymunny" from January to June 2024, charging $1,200-$1,500 per incident. By forging identity documents, he tricked AT&T employees into transferring victims' phone numbers, helping his accomplices control the SEC account and publish a false message about Bitcoin ETF approval on January 9, 2024.
Investigators found in Council's device that he had searched on Google "how to confirm if being investigated by the FBI" and records about "time required to delete Telegram account". Despite his Telegram settings for automatic chat deletion every two weeks, conversations about SIM hijacking with overseas accomplices were still preserved. Council was monitored during another SIM hijacking at an Apple Store on June 18, 2024, was subsequently arrested, and pleaded guilty in February this year. The prosecution recommends a two-year prison sentence, with the final judgment to be announced on May 16.
