Moment phone fraudster who stole £200,000 crypto cash and splashed out on gold grills, plush apartment and luxury Dubai trips is arrested at Heathrow

A man who stole nearly £200,000 worth of cryptocurrency and spent it on gold-plated grills and luxury holidays to Dubai was finally arrested at Heathrow. Ajay Shinjin, of Canary Wharf in London, exploited SIM-swap technology to take nearly £200,000 from multiple victims' cryptocurrency accounts, using it to fund a lavish lifestyle and a high-end apartment. The 25-year-old was sentenced today at Inner London Crown Court to two and a half years in jail. Shinjin, also known as AJ Marley Cruz, was first arrested at his flat in 2021 and was later re-arrested at Heathrow Airport in October 2023 upon returning to the UK from Dubai, after further evidence came to light. Police are seen on bodycam footage approaching Shinjin and handcuffing him, before putting a coat over his hands. He was then charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and one count of transferring criminal property, and pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court on September 28. Shinjin used the stolen funds to splash out on a set of gold-plated 'grills' He was sentenced to two and a half years in jail on Thursday at Inner London Crown CourtWhat is SIM-swap fraud? SIM-swap fraud begins with a fraudster gathering personal details about you, either by phishing emails, social engineering, data breaches or reading your social media posts.The fraudster can pretend to be you, using this information to pass any security checks requested by your phone provider.They can then convince a phone provider to transfer your service to a SIM in their possession. This gives them control of your phone number to change your passwords and access incoming calls, text messages and emails.The fraudster will also receive your two-factor authentication (2FA) to gain access to your social media and financial accounts.You may notice your mobile is no longer connecting and you are unable to make calls or texts. If you receive unsolicited texts or emails about your SIM being ported or a PAC request, or you unexpectedly lose phone service, you should contact your provider immediately. You should also inform your banks as soon as possible. The fraudster may attempt to make a money transfer online or over the phone while they still have control. Source: Met Police Shinjin's crypto theft comes amid a rise in SIM-swapping fraud, which has seen scammers access people's bank accounts, crypto accounts and other valuable apps by obtaining their phone number. The scam involves fraudsters remotely transferring a person's mobile phone number onto a SIM card that they hold, so that they can receive all calls and texts. From there they can use two-factor authentication (2FA) codes that are sent by text to access bank and savings accounts. In early November 2021, phone company BT saw unauthorised activity affecting its systems, through which customer telephone numbers had been transferred to SIM cards controlled by criminals - a practice known as 'SIM-swapping'. With a phone number under their control, criminals were able to receive one-time passcodes (OTPs) via text messages to then gain access to a victim's bank accounts or crypto wallets to access their money. During the course of their subsequent investigation, BT identified devices used to receive ported customer telephone numbers. Each of these phones were eSIM enabled and had two IMEI numbers. Data provided by BT led police to identify a number of suspects - including Shinjin, who was attributed to four SIM swap devices. The investigation identified that the victims associated with the SIM swap incidents had all reported crimes occurring within the first week of November 2021. Of the victims identified, one had around £40,000 worth of cryptocurrency stolen on November 2, 2021, of which Shinjin received roughly £27,000 into his personal crypto account. A second victim had around £17,000 cryptocurrency stolen between November 5 and 7 in 2021, which was later found in Shinjin's personal crypto wallet. A third victim had approximately £8,000 taken from his Coinbase account on November 3, 2021, which Shinjin facilitated the theft of and then sent the money elsewhere. Finally, a fourth victim had approximately £130,000 worth of cryptocurrency stolen between November 6 and 7 that same year, which Shinjin also facilitated the theft of. During his police interviews, Shinjin provided no comment to all questions put to him. Detective Constable Simon Ardeman, from the City of London Police, said: 'This was a complex and calculated fraud that caused significant financial harm to a number of victims. 'By deliberating exploiting SIM-swap technology, Shinjin was able to gain access to cryptocurrency accounts and steal nearly £200,000 from multiple victims' accounts. 'SIM-swap fraud is a sophisticated and increasingly concerning form of offending, and this case demonstrates the devastating consequences it can have for victims. 'This conviction sends a clear message that those who use technology to commit fraud will be brought to justice.' Top tips to preventing fraud Protect your personal information: Never share important information like bank account details or passwords and ignore requests for your details. Set up a PIN or password with your phone provider: Ask your provider to set up a unique PIN or password on your account, needed to approve any account changes.Use social media wisely: Avoid sharing details such as your phone number, date of birth and answers to common security questions.Monitor your accounts: Regularly check your bank accounts and credit reports for strange transactions or activities. Set up alerts for any significant changes to your accounts.Set up biometrics: Consider adding facial and voice recognition to your security options.Source: NatWest