Hong Kong Police Arrest 4 for Registering 7,300 SIM Cards, Fake IDs for Social Media Scams

Hong Kong police arrested four people for allegedly using falsified identity documents to register over 7,300 SIM cards to facilitate social media scams, The South China Morning Post reports.

The arrests are the first since the SIM card real-name registration rule was implemented in 2022.

Four individuals, including three unemployed men aged 24 to 28 and a 35-year-old Indonesian woman, were apprehended during a police raid on industrial and residential buildings.

The operation was conducted by the police's cybersecurity and technology crime bureau, led by Superintendent Wilson Tam Wai-shun. According to Tam, the suspects began accumulating a significant number of mobile phone SIM cards in March of last year, and the police believe that they were involved in criminal activities.

All SIM cards in Hong Kong must be registered using a Hong Kong ID card by February 2022. The initiative was proposed to combat criminals who evade detection by using anonymous pay-as-you-go SIM cards.

SIM Card Registration

In similar legislation, Philippine President Bongbong Marcos signed a contentious SIM card registration act into law in October.

Supporters of the bill claim that it will be a significant step toward combating the country's rampant text scams. Meanwhile, human rights organizations point out that certain provisions of the law significantly increase the state's ability to monitor citizens.

How Hong Kong Scammers Spoof SIM Cards

Using computers and modem-pool devices to connect online intermediaries, SCMP reports that the group was able to obtain one-time passwords for scammers to create accounts on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

Since modem-pool devices can house multiple SIM cards and make bulk calls, they are popular among phone scammers.

According to police, the group allegedly registered over 7,300 SIM cards with fake Hong Kong ID cards.

The registered cards could allow scammers to send phishing messages for fraudulent activities such as investment, romance, and online shopping scams.

According to Superintendent Tam, the trio earned HK$10 to HK$20 per SIM card from scammers who used their services.

SIM Card Swapping Scam

Scammers are finding new ways to exploit our personal information as our reliance on smartphones and other mobile devices grows.

SIM card swap scam, a sophisticated attack that can give criminals access to your online accounts and financial information, is one such scam that is becoming more common. This scam is a real threat, as even former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey fell victim to it in 2019.

Norton explains that SIM swap fraud operates by exploiting a flaw in two-factor authentication and verification intended to add an extra layer of security to your accounts.

Typically, this process entails sending a code to your phone number, which you then enter to gain access to your online account.

Scammers, on the other hand, can intercept this code and gain access to your account if they gain control of your phone number.

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