Canadian police say they've busted a roaming text-message scam that essentially involved driving a fake cell tower around Toronto. Authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of three men accused of operating "SMS blasters," devices that imitate legitimate towers and quietly pull in nearby phones, per Gizmodo. Once connected, the devices pushed out phishing texts that looked like they came from banks, parking authorities, and other institutions and steered people to sham sites to harvest logins and financial data, per Toronto police. Investigators say the mobile setup—run out of vehicles—could hit thousands of phones at once. Tens of thousands of devices were allegedly connected over several months, with millions of service disruptions, per the National Post.
Police say it's the first known use of such technology in Canada, though similar devices have surfaced in countries including the UK. Investigators warn there are consequences beyond financial losses, yet to be calculated, as tricked phones may be unable to make calls, including to 911. The alleged scheme came to light in November before several SMS blasters were seized. "This is a clear example of how cyber-enabled crime is becoming more advanced, more mobile, and more difficult to detect," says Toronto Deputy Chief Rob Johnson, asking anyone who received suspicious texts or clicked on links to report it. The trio—Dafeng Lin, 27, of Hamilton; Junmin Shi, 25, of Markham; and Weitong Hu, 21, also of Markham—faces 44 charges, including fraud and mischief endangering life.
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