Eric Council Jr. has been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated id theft and entry system fraud
In January, the SEC’s X account was hacked with a publish claiming that the company had accredited the primary Bitcoin ETF
A day later, the SEC accredited the primary Bitcoin ETFs
A 25-year-old man from Athens, Alabama has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly hacking the US Securities and Trade Fee’s (SEC) X account.
In response to an announcement from the US Lawyer’s Workplace, District of Columbia, Eric Council Jr. is accused of being a part of a gaggle that falsely posted a message on the SEC’s X account claiming they’d accredited the primary Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Council has been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated id theft and entry system fraud.
Within the identify of Gary Gensler, the SEC’s Chair, the group posted a message on January 9 stating:
“Right this moment the SEC grants approval for #Bitcoin ETFs for itemizing on all registered nationwide securities exchanges.”
Shortly after the tweet was posted, the value of Bitcoin rose by $1,000.
Realizing the SEC account had been compromised, Gensler was fast to disclaim the information, saying that the company hadn’t “accredited the itemizing.” Following that information, the value of Bitcoin dropped by $2,000.
The @SECGov twitter account was compromised, and an unauthorized tweet was posted. The SEC has not accredited the itemizing and buying and selling of spot bitcoin exchange-traded merchandise.
— Gary Gensler (@GaryGensler) January 9, 2024
Notably, a day later, the SEC accredited the primary Bitcoin ETF.
SIM swapping
Authorities state that Council used a “SIM swapping” method to achieve management of the SEC’s account.
Nicole Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Lawyer Common of the Justice Division’s Felony Division, mentioned that Council allegedly “accessed the SEC’s account on X through the use of the stolen id of an individual who had entry to the account to take over their cellphone quantity.”
“These SIM swapping schemes, the place fraudsters trick service suppliers into giving them management of unsuspecting victims’ telephones, can lead to devastating monetary losses to victims and leaks of delicate private and personal info,” mentioned United States Lawyer Matthew Graves.
In response to the assertion, Council, who additionally glided by the names “Ronin,” “Easymunny,” and “AGiantSchnauzer,” is alleged to have acquired the sufferer’s identify and photograph and a template containing the sufferer’s particulars from co-conspirators. He then used this info to create a pretend ID.
Council then traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to acquire a brand new SIM card linked to the sufferer’s telephone and purchased a brand new iPhone in money. With the 2, he obtained entry codes to the SEC’s X account. These codes have been shared with the co-conspirators who issued the pretend tweet.
Council is alleged to have acquired fee in Bitcoin for finishing the SIM swap. He then drove to Birmingham, Alabama to return the iPhone for money. Aware of his actions, the FBI mentioned that Council performed web searches, together with “what are the indicators that you’re below investigation by regulation enforcement?”
