Alleged 19-Year-Old SIM Swapper Used Stolen Bitcoin to Buy Luxury Cars

Xzavyer Narvaez, 19, is accused of seven counts of computer crimes, identity fraud, and grand theft, according to a complaint obtained by Motherboard. Narvaez’s arrest comes approximately a month after that of Joel Ortiz, the first person in the US to ever be accused of hijacking phone numbers—a type of fraud also known as SIM swapping or “port out scam”—to steal Bitcoin. Earlier this month, Florida police arrested a 25-year-old also accused of being part of a group that stole Bitcoin through SIM swap hacks.

It appears that Narvaez spent some of the Bitcoin he stole on sports cars. Through DMV records, the police found that Narvaez purchased a 2018 McLaren paying partly in Bitcoin and partly by trading-in a 2012 Audi R8, which Narvaez purchased with Bitcoin in June 2017. The investigators obtained records from Bitcoin payment provider BitPay, and cryptocurrency exchanges Bittrex. The records revealed that between March 12, and July 12 of this year, Narvaez’s account saw a flow of 157 Bitcoin (now worth around $1 million), according to a court document.