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Passengers traveling on the London Underground fell victim to a sophisticated text message scam involving homemade “SMS blaster” devices concealed inside suitcases, a court has been informed. According to the prosecution at Inner London Crown Court, commuters received fraudulent texts indicating a failed parcel delivery, accompanied by a link intended to “resolve” the supposed issue. However, the true objective was to steal money from their bank accounts.
This scam technique, called “smishing”—a combination of SMS and phishing—deceives recipients by sending messages that appear to originate from trustworthy companies, thereby coaxing them into revealing sensitive personal information. Two individuals, Zhijia Fan, 48, and Daoyan Shang, 20, both currently homeless, have denied charges related to conspiracy to defraud and possession of equipment designed for fraud, allegedly committed between January and March 2025.
Prosecutor Alex Davidson explained that the fraudulent messages encouraged recipients to enter personal details, which were then exploited to unlawfully access and withdraw money from ordinary people’s bank accounts. The scam depended on a specialized device crafted specifically for deception. Known as an SMS blaster, this device functioned by pretending to be a legitimate mobile network cell tower. It tricked nearby phones into connecting to it rather than their usual service providers, subsequently sending fraudulent text messages containing links to counterfeit websites.
The prosecution alleges that Fan orchestrated the operation, directing others to manage the SMS blaster devices across the London Underground, with Shang playing the role of his close accomplice. Davidson emphasized to the jury that there was clear intent to defraud the public via these devices, stating there was “no doubt that there was a conspiracy to defraud the public by deploying SMS blasters on the Underground.” The main issue for the court is to determine whether Fan and Shang actively participated in this conspiracy. The court also learned that the suitcases used to house the bulky electronic base stations had metal-reinforced bottoms with ventilation holes to prevent overheating, despite the frequent breakdowns of the equipment. Eventually, the scam began to collapse after an off-duty British Transport Police officer spotted one of the suspicious suitcases being moved around, which raised alarm
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