Authorities bust ‘SMS blaster’ gang who drove around Bangkok sending thousands of phishing messages

Thai authorities announced last week the arrest of two organized fraud gangs, one of which is suspected of driving through the streets of Bangkok while blasting hundreds of thousands of malicious SMS messages to nearby cellphones. This attack called “SMS explosion” relies on the use of technology that acts as a mobile phone station, and is able to transmit thousands of messages to devices within a local area.

According to the local news station, Khaosod, the mobile station setup includes an 8,000-watt power station, a Wi-Fi router, and four cell phones. The gang reportedly sent nearly 1 million malicious messages over a three-day period in mid-November. The news source reported that the messages were designed to trick recipients into thinking they had won a free gift. This attack can be used to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link intended to steal their passwords, or to download malware.