Tube SMS Blaster Gang Jailed After Off-Duty Detective Spots Device

A criminal network that targeted London Underground passengers with fake parcel delivery texts has been sentenced after a British Transport Police investigation uncovered the scam.

Four men appeared at Inner London Crown Court on 24 February for their roles in the fraud, which relied on so-called “SMS blasters” to trick commuters into handing over personal and financial information. The operation was uncovered after an off-duty BTP detective noticed suspicious activity at King’s Cross Underground station on 11 March 2025.

The detective spotted a man sitting on the Northern line platform beside a suitcase perforated with holes and emitting a green flash. On closer inspection, the case was found to contain an SMS blaster — a device designed to impersonate a legitimate mobile phone mast. Once nearby phones connected to it, the device sent mass messages posing as communications from delivery companies including Royal Mail and Evri, urging recipients to follow links and input personal details. Those details were then used to access victims’ bank accounts.

Two weeks later, on 25 March, plain clothes officers detained Wan Mohd Hafiz at Baker Street Underground station, where he was found with a second SMS blaster concealed in a large suitcase. Further intelligence led detectives to identify Zhijia Fan and Daoyan Shang as the organisers behind the conspiracy. Both were arrested the same day — Fan in Acton and Shang at Baker Street station.

Searches of the men’s London addresses uncovered components used to assemble the devices, including antennas and power units. Officers also seized 10,832 gift cards loaded with more than £80,000 in profits generated from the fraud. Gatis Lauks, who worked under Fan, used victims’ bank details to purchase the gift cards.

Fan, 48, of Winchester Street, Acton, was jailed for four years and eight months. Shang, 20, of Caxton Road, Shepherd’s Bush, received two years and 10 months, while Hafiz, 41, of Queensway, Paddington, was sentenced to one year and two months. All three had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and possession of articles used in fraud. Lauks, 25, of no fixed address, was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years after admitting fraud by misrepresentation.

BTP Detective Inspector Tim Weekes said:

“These organised scammers concealed SMS blasters in suitcases in a bid to plunder the bank accounts of unsuspecting commuters. Their plot to defraud passengers was foiled by one of our vigilant detectives who was off duty when he spotted the device at a London Tube station. An extensive investigation followed, drawing on specialists from across BTP, and we built a case so robust the gang had no choice but to plead guilty. These convictions were achieved thanks to the close work our detectives undertook with mobile network operators including BT, Virgin Media, O2, and Vodafone-Three, Sky, as well as the National Cyber Security Centre and Ofcom."

Jonathan Kelleher from the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“This was a sophisticated fraud led by Zhijia Fan to get London Underground passengers to disclose personal details which the gang would then use to access and most certainly empty their bank accounts. While Fan maintained a physical distance, Daoyan Shang would accompany the SMS blasters, a portable and an illegal device used to impersonate a legitimate cellular tower and forcing nearby mobile phones to connect, onto the Underground and provide technical support in case they malfunctioned. Hafiz was shown by Shang how to deploy the devices. This case shows the effective and collaborative work of the British Transport Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS will now seek to recover their proceeds of crime to ensure these offenders do not benefit from their criminal conduct. If you feel you have been a victim of a fraudulent attack, please report this to the police and we will always look to prosecute cases whenever there is the evidence to do so.”

Image: British Transport Police