London man jailed 2.5 years after SIM-swap ring drained £200k in crypto from BT users

Four BT customers lost nearly £200,000 in cryptocurrency after fraudsters hijacked their phone numbers via SIM swaps in November 2021. Ajay Shinjin, 25, helped run the scheme, pocketed over £44,000 and blew it on a Dubai holiday, a Canary Wharf flat and gold dental grills.

Shinjin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and transferring criminal property; Inner London Crown Court handed him a two-and-a-half-year sentence. City of London Police traced him through eSIM devices with dual IMEIs linked to the unauthorised activity on BT’s systems.

The victims were hit for roughly £40,000, £17,000, £8,000 and £130,000; part of the stolen coins landed directly in Shinjin’s wallets. He was first arrested in 2021 and again in October 2023 when he flew back from Dubai into Heathrow.

Detectives noted that SIM swapping remains a sophisticated threat that lets criminals intercept exchange and bank SMS codes, yet the case shows such offences can still be solved.

Based on information from cryptonews.net