Crypto: Vacation in Dubai and gold dental jewelry, scammer convicted in London

Diverted lines to finance luxury living. A London court sentenced Ajay Shinjin, 25, to two and a half years in prison on October 8 for his part in the theft of nearly 200,000 pounds (around €236,000) in cryptocurrencies. The scammers hijacked victims' phone numbers to intercept their security codes. Ajay Shinjin received more than 44,000 pounds (€52,000) of the loot, spent on holidays in Dubai and gold-plated dental jewelry.

The case began in early November 2021, when BT detected unauthorized activity on its systems. Customer numbers were transferred to SIM cards controlled by criminals. The operator's data then allows investigators to link Mr. Shinjin to four devices used in these hijackings, reports the City of London Police.

The losses affect four people: around 40,000 pounds for the first, 17,000 for the second, 8,000 on the Coinbase account of a third and 130,000 for the last. Mr. Shinjin receives approximately 27,000 pounds from the first flight and all from the second. It also facilitates the other two diversions.

Arrested at his home in 2021, he was arrested again at Heathrow in October 2023, upon returning from Dubai. He pleaded guilty on September 28 to conspiracy to commit fraud by false declaration and transfer of property of criminal origin. His conviction comes almost five years after the events.

SIM swap consists of fraudulently transferring a number to a SIM card controlled by the attacker. The latter then receives the SMS intended for the victim, in particular the connection or account recovery codes. Depending on the service's protections, their interception can allow authentication to be bypassed and access to funds.

This method is making progress in British reports. Cifas, the fraud prevention organization, notes a 402% increase in cases recorded in its national database in the first half of 2026, compared to the same period of 2025. This figure concerns the declarations collected, and not an exhaustive count of all attacks in the country.

To reduce exposure, experts recommend an authenticator app rather than SMS, as well as a separate security code from the carrier. Some providers also offer enhanced protection against fraudulent changes to the mobile account. Recovery procedures are also worth checking: keeping SMS as a backup solution can maintain a gateway.