Scammers Are Driving around Blasting 100K Texts per Hour
Futurism.com | Scammers are increasing their phishing game with “SMS blasters.”
The devices act as portable cell towers, tricking your phone into connecting with them like it does with your mobile provider’s network. SMS blasters are small and portable enough to carry in a car, or even while walking. The scammers move around with the devices, sending thousands of SMS messages that contain dangerous links.
In November 2024, Thai police reported that they had apprehended people using the SMS blaster tech. Driving around a densely populated district of Bangkok, the scammers had a device capable of sending 100,000 SMS messages per hour. Authorities believe they sent almost 1 million spam messages in a short time.
Phones in range received a message stating: “Your 9,268 points are about to expire! Hurry up and redeem your gift now.” This was followed by a URL that included text to create the impression that the phishing website belonged to a leading mobile operator in Thailand.
SMS blasters are not new tech, but it’s a newer strategy for criminal scammers. And they’re easy to use: Criminals pay people just to drive around with the devices in their vehicles.
The advantage of the blasters is that the scammers don’t need your phone number. Because they’re simulating a cell tower, they can connect with any phone in range. The good news is that the messages are the same: The scammers are still relying on people to click on suspicious links.
Learn more in the full article from Futurism: Scammers Are Now Driving Around With Fake Cell Towers That Blast 100,000 Texts Per Hour