European law enforcement agencies have recently busted a major cybercrime network in Latvia, arresting seven people while confiscating a large amount of equipment used in global fraud schemes.
The Europol (European Union’s Law Enforcement agency) operation, called “SIMCARTEL,” targeted a crime network that ran phishing and other scams via mobile networks, responsible for a large set of sensitive account breaches and the theft of millions of dollars.
Investigators from Austria, Estonia, and Latvia linked the cybercrime group to more than 3,200 cases of fraud, including fake investment opportunities and “staged emergency” schemes designed to extract money from vulnerable people.
Reported losses totaled about $5.3 million in Austria and $490,000 in Latvia due to the group.
The raid found 1,200 SIM box devices containing 40,000 active SIM cards. These devices enabled criminals to conceal their identities while committing crimes across various telecommunications networks, including the creation of fake profiles on social media and popular messaging apps. Europol said the network’s reach extended to users in over 80 countries across the world.
The main bust took place on October 10 in Latvia, involving over 20 property searches. Officials also seized hundreds of thousands of additional SIM cards during those searches, as well as five cybercrime servers and four high-end vehicles. Investigators then reportedly froze roughly $833,000 in bank and digital currency accounts that were connected to the fraud scheme.
Europol indicated that the full scope of the network is still under investigation, but said the group is linked to the creation and distribution of more than 49 million accounts. The group’s operations reportedly supported extortion, smuggling of illegal aliens, fake investment scams, and even counterfeit online stores.
Europol shared video footage of the Latvian raids with the public over the weekend, revealing the well-organized nature of the active fraud network.
The European investigation highlights the growing threat of SIM farms, which allow cybercriminals to operate scam services using remote mobile networks, many times without ever communicating directly with their victims. Similar operations have appeared worldwide: last month, the U.S. Secret Service disrupted a network in New York City.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, in late September, the Secret Service seized over 100,000 illegal SIM cards and more than 300 illegal servers in New York City, preventing potential disruptions to cell networks, 911 calls, and sensitive communications among world leaders during the nearby 80th UN General Assembly.
Early investigations tied the U.S. sim farm network to foreign “nation-state actors.”
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the crackdown on cybercrime in NYC last month demonstrated the agency’s commitment to dismantling these types of threats before they escalate across the U.S.
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated. The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled,” Curran added.