A Los Angeles man has been charged after he allegedly hijacked the Instagram accounts of female social media influencers, defrauding them and their friends and extorting them for money and sexually explicit video chats.

Federal prosecutors say Amir Hossein Golshan, 24, used a technique known as "SIM swapping" to fraudulently induce phone carriers to reassign his victims' cellphone numbers to a phone he controlled. 

After obtaining control of the victims' phone numbers, prosecutors allege, Golshan reset the password and codes for the victims' social media accounts and sent them to a device he controlled. He faces charges of aggravated identify theft and two counts of wire fraud, among others.

Golshan has been in jail since his arrest Feb. 2. His arraignment was scheduled for Friday morning in United States District Court, the U.S. Attorney's office for the Central District of California said in a statement. 

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Instagram app on iPhone screen

Instagram app shown on an iPhone home screen (CyberGuy.com)

According to prosecutors, after SIM swapping their phone numbers, Golshan logged into his victims' social media accounts and impersonated them to their online friends, requesting their cell phone numbers and stealing their accounts. Prosecutors say Golshan demanded money from his victims to restore their accounts, collecting approximately $15,000 in the process.

In one incident, an LA-based model and social media influencer, identified as "Victim 1," said she received a direct message on Instagram from an account owned by one of her friends that asked for her phone number. After providing her number, Victim 1 found that her phone no longer connected to her cellphone network. Her carrier notified her via email that her account had been changed from her personal iPhone to a different iPhone number she did not recognize.

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hacker

Illustration of a hacker (iStock)

It took the victim about two hours to regain control of her phone, only to find out she could not access her Instagram account because the password had been changed. In the meantime, Golshan was allegedly impersonating her on Instagram for an entire day and extorting her friends. 

In another case, Golshan SIM swapped a woman identified in court papers as "Victim 3," took control of her Instagram account and demanded $5,000 from her. Later, he allegedly told the victim he would return her Instagram account if she initiated a video call and stripped for him.

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Instagram Selfie

A group of people pose for an Instagram selfie. (iStock)

If convicted, Golshan could face up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, up to five years for each computer hacking-related count and a mandatory two-year prison sentence for the single count of aggravated identity theft.  

Golshan's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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The FBI is investigating the matter. 

Assistant United States Attorney Andrew M. Roach of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is the prosecutor assigned to the case.