Social Media Platform Fraudster Receives 5-Year Prison Sentence for $120,000 Crypto Scam
A United Kingdom citizen involved in a high-profile social media hack in July 2020 has been sentenced to five years in a U.S. prison. Joseph James O'Connor, also known as PlugwalkJoe, received his sentence in the Southern District of New York after pleading guilty to his participation in criminal activities. O'Connor, aged 24, was apprehended in Spain in July 2021.
During the notorious breach of a popular social media platform, the defendant and his associates gained unauthorized access to the platform's backend tools, allowing them to seize control of 130 prominent accounts. Exploiting these compromised accounts, they executed a cryptocurrency scam, generating illegal profits totaling approximately $120,000.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) disclosed that the co-conspirators also sold unauthorized access to social media accounts. O'Connor actively participated in discussions involving the purchase of unauthorized access to various charges, including those linked to influential individuals globally.
Apart from his involvement in the social media hack, the defendant faces accusations of orchestrating SIM-swapping attacks to compromise user accounts on popular platforms. Furthermore, he targeted a cryptocurrency company based in New York, successfully stealing cryptocurrencies valued at around $794,000.
Source: https://thehackernews.com/2023/06/twitter-hacker-sentenced-to-5-years-in.html