26.1k unique visitors in the last 3 days

Malaysian Regulator Shares Video of Raid That Seized SMS Blaster Gear Worth $24,000

By Eric Priezkalns
Risk, Fraud & Security
There are striking similarities between the methods used in this case and how fake base stations have previously been used in China and the Philippines.

A joint operation between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Royal Malaysia Police (Polis Diraja Malaysia, PDRM) has shut down an SMS blaster operation that sent scam messages from a car discovered while circulating Kuala Lumpur. The detection of the two fake base stations within that car and the arrest of the driver then led to a further raid on a residential property where more scam equipment was found. MCMC used social media to share video footage from the operation; you can watch it at the bottom of this article.

MCMC said 45 separate pieces of equipment were confiscated in total. It is difficult to determine how many fake base stations there were, but the video footage suggests it was more than just the two devices found in the car. The total value of the equipment seized was estimated to be MYR100,000 (USD24,000).

The SMS blasters were used to send both smishing messages and other messages that promoted gambling services. The use of SMS blasters to advertise legal businesses was previously common in mainland China and among Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). POGOs were closely associated with Chinese investors seeking to work around China’s laws against gambling before the Philippines also made them illegal last year. Video footage of messages received as the car was being tracked suggests they were written in Chinese.

The driver faces a potential prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to MYR1mn (USD240,000). No mention was made of any other arrests although MCMC referred to this fraud being committed by a ‘syndicate’. Smishing frauds typically involve gangs with multiple members that each perform specific tasks.

A still image of the SMS blasters is reproduced below. The casings appear similar to SMS blasters recently used for smishing frauds in Vietnam and Thailand.

This latest case has been added to our comprehensive map of reported SMS blasters in our Global Fraud Dashboard.

Eric Priezkalns
Eric Priezkalnshttp://revenueprotect.com

During his career, Eric has been a Director of Risk Management for a national telco, the Chief Executive of the Risk & Assurance Group, a Chief Marketing Officer for a software business, a consultant, a public speaker and the publisher of Commsrisk since its launch in 2006. Look here for more about the history of Commsrisk and the role played by Eric.

The comms providers that Eric has worked for include Qatar Telecom, Cable & Wireless, T‑Mobile, Sky and Worldcom. In addition to his proficiency at speaking about the current scamdemic, Eric is also a qualified chartered accountant and a subject matter expert in consumer protection, enterprise risk management, fraud prevention, data integrity and billing accuracy. Eric was the lead author of Revenue Assurance: Expert Opinions for Communications Providers, published by CRC Press. He can be reached through the contact form on this website.

Related Articles

PreviousNext

The Commsrisk Global Fraud Dashboard


Our Global Fraud Dashboard uses AI-powered search to collate, update and visualize data about scams and other network abuses from around the world. New charts are added each month. See it here.

Get Our Weekly Newsletter by Email

Articles copyright © the author, all else copyright © Revenue Protect Limited