Hamilton man among three charged in Toronto ‘SMS blasters’ cybercrime investigation

Toronto police have seized the first mobile “SMS blasters” known to have been used in Canada and charged three men, including one from Hamilton.

Officers began a “first-of-it’s-kind’ investigation into cybercrime called Project Lighthouse, looking into devices that mimic cell towers and send fraudulent texts to connected phones.

These messages could include websites designed to steal personal information, or financial or log-in data.

Users could connect to it instead of a real network and not notice, in a tactic known as “smishing.”

Toronto police worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, officers from Central, York, and Hamilton, financial institutions and telecommunications partners.

Officers executed search warrants at homes in Markham and Hamilton on March 31. Following the search they arrested two men, and seized a significant quantity of electronic evidence, including several mobile SMS blasters.

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Detectives charged 27-year-old Dafeng Lin of Hamilton with offences including mischief, fraud under $5,000 and possessing property obtained by crime.

They also charged 25-year-old Junmin Shi of Markham with similar charges, including mischief endangering life, fraudulently intercepting a function of a computer system and using a computer system with intent to commit an offence.

A third man, 21-year-old Weitong Hu of Markham, turned himself in to police Tuesday. He has been charged with offences including trafficking identity information, possessing an identity document, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Officers say in total, the three men have been charged with 44 offences.

Police allege the disruptions could temporarily prevent the affected devices from connecting to legitimate cellular networks, limiting access to 911 for periods ranging from seconds to several minutes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police, or to reach out to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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