Georgia Man Accused of Phishing NFL and NBA Players’ Apple Accounts
Summary
The Justice Department charged Kwamaine Jerell Ford over alleged phishing and takeover of athletes’ Apple accounts, which prosecutors say enabled more than 2,000 transactions. He pleaded not guilty; the allegations also include coercion and unauthorized recordings.
Key points
- Ford pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges and was ordered held without bail.
- Prosecutors allege he impersonated an adult film actress, then Apple support, to obtain athletes’ account credentials and multifactor authentication codes.
- Prosecutors say access to the Apple accounts let Ford use victims’ payment cards for more than 2,000 transactions, including fund transfers and food-delivery orders.
- Ford is also accused of coercing a woman into sexual encounters with athletes and recording encounters without consent.
- Prosecutors allege Ford accessed one victim’s home security cameras and took videos from inside the home.
- Prosecutors say seized-device evidence indicated Ford resumed phishing athletes within two days of his 2020 release from prison; he had previously pleaded guilty to a similar scheme.
Article Details
- Incident Type
- Alleged phishing and Apple account takeovers targeting professional athletes, followed by unauthorized purchases and access to security-camera footage.
- Data Types Exposed
- Apple account usernames and passwords
- Multifactor authentication codes
- Credit and debit card information
- Videos and security-camera footage
- Operational Impact
- Prosecutors allege more than 2,000 unauthorized transactions totaling thousands of dollars, along with access to an athlete's home security cameras and theft of videos. The source does not report disruption to victim operations.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- No ransom demand is reported. Prosecutors allege Ford coerced a woman into sexual encounters and recorded videos without consent.
- Claim Status
- alleged