California man loses $38,000 in SIM-swapping attack on Bank of America and Robinhood accounts, partially recovered after months

Summary

A California man lost $38,000 in a SIM-swapping attack when a fraudster transferred his phone number to a new device in September. The hacker used two-factor authentication codes to access his Bank of America account and made three wire transfers totaling $38,000. The first $20,000 was sent to a Wells Fargo account linked to a convicted felon, while the remaining $18,000 went to the victim’s Robinhood account. After months of fighting with Bank of America and Robinhood, the victim received a partial refund of $20,000 in January and the remaining $18,000 in February. The victim added a PIN to his phone account and switched to a new carrier to prevent future SIM swaps.