A Palm Beach County woman is behind bars after being accused of conducting an extensive SIM-swap scam impacting individuals across the nation, including a senior Palm Beach man who lost more than $200,000. CBS12 reports that Kadesa Sayles, 29, was arrested for her alleged involvement in the fraudulent activities, which leveraged phone hijacking to steal identities and perform unauthorized financial transactions.
This elaborate scheme unfolded when a 75-year-old victim contacted the Palm Beach Police Department (PBPD) regarding dubious activities on his AT&T mobile account. As per the account given to officers, and later cited by CBS12, the victim received a call from an individual claiming to be an AT&T representative who persuaded him to share a verification code sent by text. This code purportedly enabled the perpetrators to transfer his phone numbers to Verizon, and, therefore, seize control of his account. Following the number transfer, the suspect attempted to infiltrate the victim’s bank and email accounts, discovering an unfamiliar iPhone connected via the "Find My" feature to a location he did not know.
In a twist that broadens the scope of the crime, PBPD discovered that the address linked to Sayles had prior connections to a similar fraud case in Virginia during 2023. After law enforcement executed a search warrant on May 5 at Sayles's Westlake residence, they uncovered incriminating evidence, including a notebook containing personal data from over 50 victims scattered across the U.S. Electronics seized from Sayles's home contained identification information alongside more than $15,000, believed to be proceeds from the fraudulent operations.
Further investigation revealed Sayles's attempt to funnel substantial sums through two significant wire transfer attempts, "one for over $138,000 and another for about $82,000," targeting accounts impossible to trace. The PBPD also spoke with a Las Vegas victim whose phone number was stolen, and his iCloud account compromised, CBS12 adds the victim even attained photos that were synced to his iCloud from the suspect's device after regaining access to his phone.
Sayles now faces charges of swindling to obtain property value of $50,000 or more, and two counts of using another's personal identification without their consent, targeting individuals 60 years or older. Records from Palm Beach Mugshots confirm the charges laid against Sayles, with bond information currently listed at $0.00.
