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Gang used SMS blasters on the Tube to con Londoners with fraudulent texts

TL:DR – Gang used SMS blasters on the Tube to con Londoners with fraudulent texts

• A gang was stopped from scamming Londoners by an off-duty police officer in the Underground.
• Two men, Zhijia Fan and Daoyan Shang, were caught with suitcases containing homemade SMS blasters.
• They sent fraudulent messages about parcel deliveries to unsuspecting passengers.
• The gang aimed to steal personal information for bank fraud.
• Fan is alleged to lead the group, which may have plans to expand to the Paris Metro.
• The trial is ongoing.

Gang ‘took SMS blasters on tube to scam Londoners with fake texts’ | News UK

SMS text messaging equipment recovered in a different case (Picture: UK Finance)

A gang trying to scam Londoners into handing over thousands of pounds were foiled by an off-duty police officer, a court has heard.

Two men were caught wheeling heavy suitcases equipped with homemade ‘SMS blasters’ around the London Underground network, Inner London Crown Court heard.

The alleged ‘smishing’ plot involving ‘top boss’ Zhijia Fan, 48, and his ‘right-hand man’ Daoyan Shang, 20, unravelled when an off-duty British Transport Police officer (BTP) became suspicious after spotting a large suitcase that was being dragged around was covered in holes.

Prosecutor Alex Davidson said unsuspecting passengers who walked past the suitcases, which were dragged by a team of gang members, received fake messages about a failed parcel delivery and a link inviting them to sort the problem but the aim was really to ‘plunder their bank accounts’.

Fan and Shang, both of no fixed address, have each denied a charge of conspiracy to defraud and a count of possessing an article to be used in fraud between January and March 2025.

Mr Davidson told the jury: ‘The prosecution say that these two individuals were part of a crime group who, early last year, wheeled around devices in suitcases – known as SMS blasters – (that is a) short message service or text message – on the London Underground which sent scam messages to passengers’ phones, pretending to be from Evri and Royal Mail.

Mr Davidson told the court these text messages said packages could not be delivered and invited recipients ‘to follow a link and input their personal details, in order to use those details to access and take money from the bank accounts of ordinary members of the public and take their money’.

He explained to the jury this is known as ‘smishing’ – a word which combines SMS and phishing, where fraudsters try to get people to reveal personal information by duping them into thinking they are from a reputable company.

Mr Davidson added: ‘Phone numbers are targeted and fraudulent text messages are broadcast, using a rather sophisticated device, which is adapted for the sole purpose of defrauding the public.’

He described the SMS blaster as a ‘crude’ device which worked by ‘masquerading as a legitimate cell tower, tricking nearby phones into connecting to it instead of their normal network’ and ‘once a phone connects to the SMS blaster, fraudulent messages are sent with links to fraudulent websites’.

An example of a fraud text (Picture:BTP)

The London Underground network, which boasts millions of passenger trips each day, was used as a hunting ground for the gang, the court heard.

Mr Davidson said: ‘As the SMS blaster works by capturing the phones of unwitting members of public, they are deployed in dense urban areas with high footfall and limited signal where phones can connect to legitimate cell towers.’

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The prosecution claim Fan led the gang and directed others to carry out the work on the London Underground network.

The court heard they used large suitcases, whose bottoms were reinforced with metal and had holes punched into the material, to allow ventilation for the ‘rather bulky and heavy’ base stations which were regularly breaking down.

Mr Davidson said: ‘It is the case of the prosecution that Mr Fan is the head of the crime organisation – in fact he is saved in the telephone of Mr Shang as ‘top boss’.

‘We say he sits at the apex of this organised crime group and Mr Shang is his right-hand man, his lieutenant.’

Mobile phones and an antenna were seized from Fan while the same items along with base stations were discovered in Shang’s possession after the men were arrested, it is alleged.

The jury were told that Wan Hafiz, an alleged member of the gang, has pleaded guilty, while another suspect called Jinhua Zhang is on the run having fled when he was released on bail.

Mr Davidson told the jury: ‘The reason why this is significant is because you can be in no doubt that there was a conspiracy to defraud the public by deploying SMS blasters on the underground. The question for you is whether Mr Fan and Mr Shang were part of that conspiracy.’

There also were plans by another alleged gang member to target the Paris Metro with a similar fraud, the court heard.

Mr Davidson told the jury that Gatis Lauks ‘has pleaded guilty to a separate fraud’.

It is alleged that Fan was also discussing with Lauks about ‘the feasibility of the deployment’ of SMS blasters on the Paris Metro.

Mr Davidson added: ‘The prosecution say this is nonetheless further evidence which implicates Mr Fan as showing that he is someone who is in the business of defrauding members of the public.’

The court heard that Zhang was arrested in March 2025 after a ‘very perceptive’ off-duty BTP officer who was waiting for a train became suspicious after spotting a suitcase with holes punched into it.

Fan, Shang and Hafiz were arrested at a later date, the court heard.

The trial continues.

Expert advice to guard against scams

Experts at UK Finance recommend the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign which advises people on how to ‘Stop, Challenge and Protect’ yourself from fraudulent attempts:

Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information. It could keep you safe.
Ask yourself, could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited SMS or emails, even if it appears to be from a company you know.
Get a second opinion from someone you trust about what you’ve received.
Be cautious of any ‘too good to be true’ offers.

Android users are advised to disable 2G on their devices to avoid the attacks, while iPhone users can filter messages from unknown contacts.

Paul Curtis, Detective Chief Inspector of the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit told UK News: ‘Criminals using SMS blaster devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated, sending thousands of scam messages that appear to come from trusted sources like banks, retailers or mobile providers.

‘These texts often look convincing – but they’re designed to trick you into clicking links or handing over sensitive information.

‘If you receive a message out of the blue, even if it seems to be from a legitimate organisation, don’t click on any links and never share personal details or one-time passcodes.

‘These scams rely on urgency and trust, pausing before you act can make all the difference. If in doubt, report any suspicious texts to 7726 which is a free service.

‘We urge anyone who thinks they’ve been targeted to report it to their bank and to the police via Action Fraud.

‘Every report helps build intelligence and disrupt criminal networks.’

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