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Former Telecom Manager’s Shocking Admission Reveals Dark SIM Swapping Secret

Former Telecom Manager Admits to Cell Phone Swapping Scheme

CAMDEN, N.J. – Jonathan Katz, also known as “Luna,” a former manager at a telecommunications company from Marlton, New Jersey, has confessed to participating in a SIM swapping scheme, announced Attorney Vikas Khanna.

Katz, aged 42, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court on March 12, 2024, to conspiring to gain unauthorized access to a protected computer.

According to court documents and statements:

In May 2021, Katz was employed as a manager at a telecom store. He used his managerial credentials to access multiple customer accounts and switched the SIM numbers associated with these customers’ phone numbers onto mobile devices controlled by another individual. This action enabled the other person to take control of the customers’ phones and access their electronic accounts, such as email, social media, and cryptocurrency platforms. In exchange for these swaps, Katz received payment in Bitcoin, which was later traced back to his cryptocurrency account.

The offense of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to a computer carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss involved. Katz’s sentencing is scheduled for July 16, 2024.

Special recognition was given to the FBI’s special agents, led by Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, for their investigative efforts leading to Katz’s guilty plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case.