SMS Pools and What the US Secret Service Found Around New York
15 hours ago
- #Telecom Fraud
- #Chinese Guarantee Syndicates
- #SMS Phishing
- UN General Assembly in NYC coincided with US Secret Service seizing 300 SIM Servers with 100,000 SIM cards.
- SMS phishing campaigns evolved from fake package notifications to toll road scams, targeting credit card theft.
- Chinese Guarantee Syndicates, like Haowang Guarantee, operate illicit SMS-blasting services via Telegram channels.
- SMS Modem Pools vary in size, from 8-port to 64-port modems, capable of rotating SIM cards for bulk messaging.
- Telegram channels openly advertise SMS pools for fraud, phishing, and gambling ads across multiple countries.
- SMS modem equipment is cheap, available on platforms like eBay and Made In China, with SIM cards sold in bulk via Facebook groups.
- Telegram's @Mobile app offers eSIMs for anonymous use, purchasable with TON cryptocurrency or traceable credit cards.
- Chinese slang 'Cat' refers to modems, leading to terms like 'Cat Card' (SIM card) and 'Cat Pool' (SMS Modem Pool).
- Phishing operations like 'Darcula' and 'Little Gray Cat' used cat-themed branding and infrastructure for SMS scams.