SMS Blasters on the Move: A portable fake cell tower that can send 100,000 texts per hour
Phone scammers have found a new, invasive tool: SMS blasters—portable devices that act like moving cell towers. They cruise around and blast out enormous volumes of texts that often carry dangerous links. Thai police reported that one device could send 100,000 texts per hour, and nearly a million in a short period. Experts say this is essentially the first large-scale use by criminal groups of mobile radio-transmitting devices. Crucially, operators can be paid to drive around areas with SMS blasters, and you don’t need technical know‑how to join in.
In This Article:
How the ruse works: lure, downgrade, and blast in seconds
The blaster acts as a mobile base station, creating a believable 4G signal to lure phones into range. Once connected, it downgrades to a less secure 2G connection. The 2G base station then sends the malicious SMS messages to phones captured by the 4G signal. The whole process—from 4G capture to SMS release—can take less than 10 seconds. Because the attack happens outside real mobile networks, providers can’t stop or monitor it in real time.
Why this is possible now: regulation gaps and the rise of blasters
This technology isn’t brand new, but its large‑scale use by criminals is a new development. In the Philippines, Globe banned SMS messages that contained URLs, which pushed criminals to adopt blasters. The schemes have moved from Asia-Pacific to Western Europe and South America. The key advantage for criminals is that blasters can impersonate any sender and don’t need your phone number to target you. Experts note the technique requires little to no technical skill; arrests show people are paid to drive around with SMS blasters.
Real-world signs: arrests, spread, and the scale of the threat
In the UK, police arrested a man in June after finding an SMS blaster in the trunk of his car. He allegedly drove around London for nearly a week, sending thousands of nefarious messages. The trend shows the technology spreading from Asia-Pacific to Europe and beyond. The attack works by exploiting the fact that it operates outside traditional networks, leaving carriers with limited real-time oversight. The root danger remains that any nearby phone can be drawn into the scam and prompted to click on a dangerous link.
What you can do now: stay vigilant and protect yourself
Treat unexpected texts with suspicion, especially if they urge you to click links or share personal information. Do not click on suspicious links; block unknown numbers and report texts to your carrier or authorities. Use your phone’s built‑in filtering and keep software up to date. If you notice a surge of mass texts in your area, warn others and report it. Remember: scammers can spoof sender names, so verify through a trusted source before acting.
