Two arrests have been made in the UK in connection with using a homemade mobile antenna to send fraudulent SMS messages posing as banks and official organizations to steal personal information [6].
Description
The first arrest was made in Manchester on May 9 [2] [3], followed by a second in London on May 23 [3]. The individual arrested in London was identified as Huayong Xu, 32, from Croydon [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6], South London [1] [2] [5] [6]. Xu was charged with using a ‘text message blaster’ to send thousands of SMS phishing messages, making him the first in the UK to use this method [4]. He was also charged with possession of articles for use in fraud and remanded in custody [2] [6], with a court appearance scheduled for June 26 [2]. Another person was arrested in Manchester but has been bailed [4]. The City of London Police’s Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) collaborated with mobile network operators [3], Ofcom [1] [2] [3] [4] [6], and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to prevent fraud. Detective Chief Inspector David Vint emphasized the increasing complexity of such fraudulent activities and advised the public to report suspicious text messages to prevent falling victim to fraud.
Conclusion
The arrests highlight the ongoing threat of fraudulent activities using SMS messages and the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and telecommunications regulators to combat such crimes. It is crucial for the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious messages to prevent falling victim to fraud in the future.
References
[1] https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/london-man-charged-in-probe-of-text-scamming-using-homemade-cell-tower-5666682
[2] https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-police-smishing-fake-cell-tower/
[3] https://gbhackers.com/hackers-used-homemade-mobile-antenna-to-send-thousands-of-smishing-text/
[4] https://uk.news.yahoo.com/croydon-man-charged-using-homemade-125352495.html
[5] https://www.techspot.com/news/103341-homemade-cell-tower-allowed-fraudsters-bombard-people-scam.html
[6] https://news.cloudsek.com/2024/06/first-of-its-kind-phishing-scheme-in-uk-busted-text-message-blast-targets-banks/
