Latvia busts global SIMbox fraud network
Police seize 40,000 SIMs and arrest five in EU-backed operation
Authorities dismantled a sophisticated SIMbox operation in Latvia that enabled the mass creation of anonymous online accounts and widespread cross‑border fraud, seizing hardware, funds and making arrests in a coordinated international probe. The takedown, codenamed “SIMcartel,” was led by the Latvian State Police’s Cybercrime Division and Counter‑Terrorism Unit OMEGA with support from EUROPOL, EUROJUST, Austrian and Estonian police, CERT.LV and the Shadowserver Foundation.
Investigators seized about 1,200 SIMbox devices loaded with some 40,000 international SIM cards, confiscated five servers and took control of the platform’s websites gogetsms.com and apisim.com. Five people were arrested in Latvia, including an alleged organiser and technical staff, while a sixth suspect is wanted internationally by Estonian authorities. Financial and material assets secured include roughly €431,000 in bank accounts, about €266,000 in cryptocurrency, and four luxury vehicles.
The service offered more than 80 international phone numbers and allowed registrations on over 160 online platforms. Authorities estimate approximately 50 million accounts were created using the system, which is linked to at least 3,200 fraud cases worldwide. Reported offences include phishing and smishing campaigns, fake investment and marketplace scams, impersonation of authorities and extortion. Victims and losses reported so far include around 1,500 victims in Latvia with losses near €420,000, and roughly 1,700 victims in Austria with losses of about €4.5 million; total documented losses approach €5 million.
Law enforcement highlighted that disposable international numbers provided by the SIMbox network let criminals obscure identities, scale deception and operate across jurisdictions, complicating detection and prosecution. Searches and related arrests were executed in multiple countries, and follow‑up investigations are ongoing in Latvia, Estonia and Austria as authorities trace downstream crimes and affiliated networks. Officials cautioned that suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty and said the case underscores the challenges of policing cyber‑fraud at scale and the importance of international cooperation.
