LONDON, UK — A student from China, Ruichen Xiong, has been sentenced to over a year in prison by Inner London Crown Court for operating an SMS Blaster in a mass smishing campaign aimed at stealing personal details from victims for fraudulent use.
Between March 22 and 27, 2025, Xiong used an SMS Blaster device installed in his black Honda CR-V to send fake text messages to tens of thousands of mobile users in the Greater London area. The device acted as an illegal mobile phone mast, diverting phones from legitimate networks by emitting a stronger signal, and sending fraudulent messages that appeared to come from trusted organizations such as government agencies.
Recipients were encouraged to click malicious links, which led to websites designed to harvest their personal information for fraud.
The conviction followed a coordinated investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), in partnership with mobile network providers including BT, Virgin Media O2, VodafoneThree, Sky, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and Ofcom.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Curtis of DCPCU warned, “Criminals are constantly evolving tactics to bypass fraud prevention. It’s vital for consumers to stay alert to suspicious texts and report scams immediately to their banks and Action Fraud.”
Virgin Media O2’s Director of Fraud Prevention, Murray Mackenzie, emphasized the scale of the problem, noting that the company blocks millions of fraudulent texts and scam calls every month, but urged the public to be cautious and report suspicious communications by texting 7726.
BT’s Chief Information Security Officer Les Anderson praised the collaborative effort, stating, “Our teams continuously enhance network security to protect customers and assist law enforcement in investigations like this.”
NCSC’s Chief Technical Officer Ollie Whitehouse urged public vigilance against smishing and encouraged reporting suspicious texts to help protect communities.
An Ofcom spokesperson highlighted the growing sophistication of scammers and the necessity of coordinated action to keep people safe.
