Europol Disrupts Major SIM Farm Operation
Europol recently announced a significant crackdown on an advanced cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS) platform linked to SIM farms. This sophisticated operation facilitated a range of illegal activities, including phishing schemes and investment frauds. The operation, known as Operation SIMCARTEL, resulted in a concerted effort from law enforcement agencies across various countries.
Details of the Operation
In a coordinated effort, law enforcement executed 26 searches, leading to the arrest of seven suspects. Among the detainees, five are reported to be from Latvia. Authorities also seized a staggering 1,200 SIM box devices, which housed around 40,000 active SIM cards. This extensive operation included dismantling five servers and taking control of two websites, gogetsms.com and apisim.com, both of which were promoting these services. The websites now display seizure notices as a result of the crackdown.
Additionally, police confiscated four luxury vehicles and froze bank assets amounting to €431,000 (approximately $502,000) in suspects’ accounts, alongside another €266,000 (around $310,000) held in cryptocurrency accounts.
International Collaboration
The operation showcased a strong collaboration between several countries, including Austria, Estonia, Finland, and Latvia, working together with Europol and Eurojust. This international partnership highlights the collective efforts to combat cybercrime that transcends borders.
Impact and Scale of the Criminal Network
Europol estimates that this criminal network has been linked to over 1,700 cyber fraud cases in Austria and an additional 1,500 in Latvia. The financial losses in these countries alone amount to approximately €4.5 million ($5.25 million) in Austria and €420,000 ($489,000) in Latvia.
“The infrastructure employed by this criminal organization was technically sophisticated, allowing perpetrators worldwide to utilize this SIM-box service for a variety of telecommunications-related cybercrimes,” Europol stated in their announcement.
Mechanics of the SIM Farming Operation
The SIM farm infrastructure provided telephone numbers registered to individuals from over 80 countries, enabling users to engage in criminal activities. These services were often exploited to create fake accounts on social media and messaging platforms, obscuring the true identity and location of the criminals. In total, the service facilitated the creation of more than 49 million online accounts.
These accounts were predominantly used for various malicious tactics, including phishing and smishing attacks. Victims were often tricked into participating in fraudulent investment schemes or were contacted via messaging apps like WhatsApp, where scammers posed as family members in distress, requesting urgent financial help.
Various Forms of Criminal Activity
The platform enabled a plethora of severe offenses, including extortion, migrant smuggling, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The breadth of activities facilitated by this SIM farm underscores the serious ramifications of such operations on global security.
Market Presence and User Experience
Marketing materials from GoGetSMS touted the offering of “fast and secure temporary phone numbers,” claiming availability for over 10 million numbers and the ability to receive verification codes from more than 160 online services. The site also promoted monetizing SIM cards with specialized software, turning them into “powerful assets” for generating passive income.
However, user experiences paint a different picture. Reviews on platforms like Trustpilot show users expressing frustration over issues obtaining functional temporary numbers. One user even reported financial losses without receiving a working number. “Tried multiple times, wasted both time and money. Support is completely unresponsive – no help, no refund, nothing,” the disgruntled user remarked.
The Latvian State Police echoed concerns about how the platform facilitated anonymous communication and payments, ultimately impacting around 3,200 individuals in various countries.
