A Palm Beach County woman has been arrested for orchestrating a complex fraud scheme that exploited over 50 victims nationwide, hijacking their phone numbers and racking up staggering financial losses through a web of deception.

The Palm Beach Police Department (PBPD) said that on April 10, a 75-year-old victim reported suspicious activity involving his AT&T mobile account.

The victim told officers that he received a phone call from an unknown number, where the caller claimed to be an AT&T representative.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the caller convinced the victim to share a verification code he received through a text message. Unbeknownst to the victim, this code allegedly allowed the perpetrators to port his phone numbers to Verizon, effectively stealing them from his account, per PBPD.

The report states that once the transfer was complete, the suspect attempted to access the victim’s bank accounts, performing unauthorized wire transfers, and also gained control of his email account. 

PBPD said that the victim also discovered that his Apple account may have been compromised, and he located an unknown iPhone connected to his account at a property he did not recognize through the "Find My" feature.

Through investigative efforts, PBPD reported uncovering that the unknown address was linked to Kadesa Sayles, who was previously flagged in a similar fraud case in Virginia in 2023.

On April 17, the victim provided PBPD with new evidence from a private investigation firm, which included two significant wire transfer attempts — one for over $138,000 and another for about $82,000 — both aimed at untraceable accounts linked to different people.

PBPD contacted a victim they found from Las Vegas who stated his phone number was stolen and his iCloud was taken over, Additionally, the victim provided officers with photos that synced to his iCloud from the suspect once he regained control of his phone. 

On May 5, officials executed a search warrant at the Westlake home linked to Sayles. 

During the search, officers reported finding a yellow notebook marked "Work $", which contained personal identification information of over 50 victims across the United States.

According to PBPD, officers seized Sayles's computers and electronics, which contained stolen identification information along with over $15,000, which detectives believe to be proceeds from her fraud. 

Sayles, 29, was arrested on Wednesday and stands accused of fraud of $50,000 or more and two counts of using another's personal identification without their consent.

Source: CBS12