Ten Torontonians arrested for smartphone fraud
National
Toronto police have arrested 10 people and are seeking two more in connection with a fraud ring centred on the “SIM swap” technique.
The scam is based on the capability of cellphone numbers to be changed from one device’s subscriber identity module (SIM) to another, typically used when someone purchases a new phone and wants to keep their old phone number. However, if a scammer convinces a phone company employee to switch someone else’s phone number to the scammer’s device—typically through either impersonation or bribery— then they will receive all the texts and phone calls intended for the victim.
The scammer can then freely use call- or text-based authentication methods to reset passwords and thereby gain access to the victim’s bank account, email account, etc.
In this particular case, a police detective alleged that the suspects caused over $1 million in damages to “victims, financial institutions and telecom companies.”
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner writes about SIM swap scams: “One of the first signs you may have fallen victim to SIM card swap scam is the sudden loss of cellular phone services, including the inability to make phone calls or send text messages … Some victims will also notice an unexpected text message from their cellular provider that says their cellular phone services are about to be switched to a new provider. Should you notice anything suspicious about your phone, contact your cellular service provider immediately. Ask your service provider about additional security controls which can be placed on your account such as adding a PIN, a passcode or port lock … Avoid sharing cellular phone numbers openly on social media and limit the sharing of any identifying details.”
Local
Ottawa’s beaches will undergo a safety audit from the Lifesaving Society after a nine-year-old boy tragically drowned at Britannia Beach on June 3— the fourth death at that beach since 2020.
The audit will look at things such as lifeguard behaviour, lifeguard availability and physical beach/water conditions. Four beaches will be examined: Britannia, Mooney’s Bay, Petrie Island and Westboro. Afterwards the Society will make recommendations to the municipal government on how to make the beaches safer.
In a coroner’s report released last year, after the third death, it was noted that all three victims were “novice swimmers” or “new arrivals to Canada,” and were wading near a “drop-off area” where the water depth quickly deepens by over two metres. It is unknown if the fourth victim also fit this profile.
International
The Israel Defence Forces said today that they killed the military leader of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in Gaza on July 13.
Since 2002, Deif was Chief of Staff of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the military force of Hamas. (The group is named after 20th century Palestinian preacher and militant Izz ad-Din al-Qassam).
The government of Israel called Deif a planner of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that killed over 1,100 Israeli civilians and started the current phase of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Hamas has not commented on this matter. The claim comes just a day after Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in Iran by an explosion. The Iranian government has accused Israel of having a role in this, while the Israeli government has not commented.
Deif and Haniyeh are the highest-ranking Hamas officials to die since the beginning of the current conflict.
