Auckland identity theft: Kiel MacGregor sentenced for scams targeting Spark customers
A 44-year-old man has been sentenced to intensive supervision for his role in an identity theft ring that targeted telecommunications customers. The offender used forged IDs to hijack phone numbers, allowing him to bypass bank security and steal thousands of dollars.
Why it matters
This case illustrates the vulnerability of mobile-based two-factor authentication and the growing threat of SIM-swapping fraud.
An identity theft ring “mule” visited Auckland Spark retail outlets where the telco unwittingly helped take over victims’ phones and access bank accounts.
Kiel MacGregor, 44, fleeced one victim of more than $44,000 before impersonating the man again to convert the stolen money into Bitcoin.
But the then-homeless methamphetamine addict wasn’t the “mastermind” of the operation, Auckland District Court Judge David Sharp said recently in imposing a 12-month intensive supervision sentence for numerous fraud, dangerous driving and drugs charges.
“Other people had a far greater financial stake in what was going on,” the judge said, describing the defendant as someone who “had no autonomous control”.
Court documents state MacGregor would go to Spark stores with an altered ID containing a legitimate customer’s details but the defendant’s photo. He would then ask to transfer the customer’s phone number to a new device he had access to.
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