By Halshane Burke
The Financial Investigation Division is reporting that a 22 year-old woman has been convicted for her involvement in a multimillion-dollar SIM swap fraud scheme targeting bank customers.
Isanae Dobson, of a Hopewell, Hanover address, was convicted in the Westmoreland Circuit Court.
The investigation revealed that Dobson was part of a criminal network that fraudulently accessed victims' bank accounts by taking control of their SIM cards and activating online banking services.
Dobson's account alone received $367,000, which was withdrawn almost immediately, and another attempted transfer of $255,000 was partially reversed by a commercial bank.
These illicit activities facilitated the transfer of victims' funds to accounts operated by "money mules," one of whom was Dobson.
A money mule is someone who receives and/or moves money obtained from fraud victims.
Some money mules knowingly participate in criminal activities, while others are unaware that their actions assist fraudsters.
Dobson was convicted on one count of Conspiracy to Defraud and two counts of Facilitating a Transaction Involving Criminal Property.
She was ordered to pay fines of $100,000 for each offense or face six months' imprisonment. Additionally, she must pay restitution totalling $35,500 to a commercial bank.
The matter was successfully prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The FID continues to urge the public to remain vigilant against fraud and report suspicious activities to the authorities.
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