AT&T store worker gets 16 months inside for SIM-swap side hustle
Phone shop staffer claimed he was paid less than $4k for in his part attacks leading to combined intended losses of $600,000
Former AT&T retail employee Kenneth Carter, 44, has been given a 16-month federal prison sentence for orchestrating a SIM swap scheme that defrauded victims of nearly $600,000. Carter, who had access to AT&T's systems, teamed up with at least three other individuals to hijack customers' phone numbers, allowing cybercriminals to intercept authentication codes and access victims' bank accounts.
The scheme ran from May 2018 to November 2019. Carter and his co-conspirators impersonated victims at the Portland, Oregon store, convincing AT&T employees to reassign the victim's phone numbers to devices controlled by the criminals. The intercepted codes were then used to take over bank accounts and steal funds. Three victims, combined, lost $593,963.77.
Carter admitted to participating in additional unauthorized SIM swaps. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud on March 24, 2026.
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