Risk, Fraud & Security
Malaysian Police Arrest SMS Blaster Driver Targeting Singapore Border Traffic
Malaysian authorities arrested a 65-year-old man who allegedly used a car-mounted SMS blaster to target peak-hour commuters travelling between Johor Bahru and Singapore.
Hong Kong SMS Blaster Broadcasts WhatsApp Account Hijacking Scam
Police linked more than 6,000 smishing messages to 16 WhatsApp account hijacking frauds that caused losses exceeding HKD300,000.
Malaysian Regulator Stops SMS Blaster Bypassing Telco Filters
MCMC found a 23 year old man driving around Johor Bahru with an SMS blaster that sent scam links. This was its fifth special operation against the devices during 2026.
Contribute to European Union Research on Spoofing and Traceback
Commsrisk has been asked to conduct research on behalf of the European Union into methods that prevent the spoofing of electronic communications and enable communications to be traced to their origin.
Hong Kong Arrests SMS Blaster Fraudster Linked to HKD1.1mn Loss
Police caught a 25 year old man driving through Sheung Shui, Hong Kong, with an active SMS blaster that had sent over 1,000 smishing messages.
How to Detect SMS Blasters
SMS blasters operate outside legitimate mobile networks, but their activity can still be detected. This article explains how operators and regulators can identify false base stations by looking for radio, signalling and location anomalies.
The Final Commsrisk Article: US Telcos Cannot Be Allowed to Dictate Global KYC
I was thrown out of One Consortium, but that was the inevitable consequence of a plan I instigated in 2024. It is better to kill my career by issuing this final warning than by facilitating a sham designed to mislead regulators and hurt the public.
Chinese SMS Blaster Scammer Attacks Eurovision in Vienna
A 32 year old Chinese national was arrested by Austria's Cobra tactical police unit outside the Eurovision Song Contest. The scammer's 6 year old son was also in the car.
Telco Insiders Arrested; Accused of Aiding $41mn Bank Frauds with 580 million Scam Texts and 180,000 Spoofed Calls
Arrests by South Korean police include the CEO of an SMS messaging platform and a systems administrator at an MVNO.
Elect Me to the One Consortium Council to Get Tough KYC Rules (Though I Expect to Lose)
International harmonization of KYC must come through negotiation, not by one country seeking to dominate.
Two Chinese Arrested for Operating an SMS Blaster around Bangkok
Few details were provided but the crime fits a well-established pattern.
Repatriated Scammers Are a Security Risk, Says Kenyan Government
Around 400 Kenyans have been repatriated from scam compounds in Asia after being lured by fraudulent job adverts on social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
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.
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