Latvia, EU partners dismantle SIMbox network in SIMCARTEL operation

Latvian police, working with law enforcement partners across Europe and EU agencies, dismantled a large SIMbox criminal network in an operation on October 10 that led to seven arrests and the seizure of thousands of devices and millions of euros in alleged proceeds. Authorities say the service had been used to perpetrate thousands of telecom-related frauds across several countries and to create millions of fake online accounts.

The operation, codenamed SIMCARTEL, involved investigators from Austria, Estonia, Finland and Latvia with coordination from Europol, Eurojust and technical support from the Shadowserver Foundation. Law enforcement conducted 26 searches in Latvia during an action day on October 10, detaining five Latvian nationals and two other suspects. Officers seized roughly 1,200 SIMbox devices, about 40,000 active SIM cards, five servers and other infrastructure, along with several luxury vehicles and bank and cryptocurrency accounts that were frozen, officials said. Two websites used to market the service were taken offline and now display law enforcement banners.

Authorities described the service as a commercial SIMbox offering that rented phone numbers registered...