A former Boston Public Schools valedictorian and current University of Massachusetts Boston student has been arrested for allegedly hacking cellphone numbers and using digital currencies like Bitcoin to steal a reported $5 million.
The Boston Globe reports 20-year-old Joel Ortiz was arrested at the Los Angeles Airport on July 12 on dozens of charges related to identity theft, hacking and grand theft.
Ortiz hails from the city's Allston neighborhood and is currently a UMass Boston student studying information technology, according to the Globe. In 2016, he was named the valedictorian of a small pilot high school in Boston known as "Another Course to College."
At the time of his graduation, a statement by Boston Public Schools said Ortiz had a rigorous class schedule with Advanced Placement courses, honors classes, and extra-curricular activities with the high school's robotics team.
"He was instrumental in the success of ACC's robotics team as the lead robot software programmer. He has taught the basics of software coding to students and has led efforts to teach computer science. Joel is fluent in Spanish and speaks conversational Chinese," the statement noted.
Motherboard, an online magazine launched by VICE that focuses on "technology, science and humans," reported earlier this week on Ortiz's arrest, detailing the intricate process by which he hacked people's personal cellphones and stole millions of dollars.
According to Motherboard, Ortiz used "SIM swapping," which means tricking a provider -- like Verizon, or AT&T -- into switching a victim's phone number onto a SIM card that is operated by the hacker. With someone else's phone number, the hacker can reset passwords and break into online accounts, especially cryptocurrency accounts like Bitcoin.
Investigators allege Ortiz hacked cryptocurrency users successfully and often, and that the 20-year-old would also take over social media accounts and sell them on Bitcoin. The names or handles associated with "valuable Instagram or Twitter accounts" can be sold for thousands of dollars, according to the VICE magazine.
Ortiz reportedly targeted several people during a New York City conference in May known as Consensus, which attracted people and investors involved in cryptocurrency. Motherboard reported that Ortiz stole more than $1.5 million in cryptocurrency from just one entrepreneur.
The Boston suspect's bail has reportedly been set to $1 million, and he remains in jail for a plea hearing.