Canada’s First ‘SMS Blaster’ Bust Reveals a Frightening New Fraud Tactic

Toronto Police have arrested three men in “Project Lighthouse,” a first-of-its-kind investigation into mobile ‘SMS blasters’, which are high tech devices never before detected in Canada that mimic cell towers to send mass scam texts.

The investigation began in November 2025 after a cybersecurity partner spotted a blaster operating in downtown Toronto. Over the following months, the device was tracked moving throughout the Greater Toronto Area, tricking tens of thousands of phones into connecting to it.

How the Technology Works

An SMS blaster acts as a fake cellular tower. When a phone is nearby, it is forced off its legitimate network and onto the rogue device. Once connected, the criminals send “smishing” texts that appear to come from trusted sources like banks or Canada Post. These messages contain links to fraudulent websites designed to steal login credentials and financial data.

Beyond the fraud risk, the devices caused massive collateral damage to local infrastructure. Police recorded over 13 million network disruptions, which could have had life-threatening consequences.

“These disruptions could temporarily prevent affected devices from connecting to legitimate cellular networks, including limiting access to emergency services such as 911,” police noted in the release.

“A New and Emerging Threat”

Deputy Chief Robert Johnson emphasized the scale of the operation, noting that this technology allows criminals to automate their reach.

“This is a new and emerging threat in Canada — one that uses advanced technology to reach thousands of people at once and exploit their trust,” said Deputy Chief Johnson.

Arrests and Seizures

Following search warrants in Markham and Hamilton on March 31, 2026, police seized several SMS blasters and a “significant quantity” of electronic evidence, leading to 44 combined charges, including fraud and mischief endangering life. These charges were against 27-year-old Dafeng Lin of Hamilton, 25-year-old Junmin Shi of Markham, and 21-year-old Weitong Hu of Markham, who turned himself in on April 21.

Protect Yourself

Toronto Police are urging the public to be skeptical of unexpected texts, specifically those from organizations like 407 ETR or Canada Post requesting payment. They advise users to never click on links in unsolicited messages and to only access banking through official apps or by manually typing a website’s address into a browser.

Some websites are advertising these SMS blaster devices for sale at the price of $50,000 US. The details mention you can send an SMS that can reach any cellphone within 500 metres and sometimes up to 2 km to all operators. The devices are branded as sending advertising texts but it’s clear criminals have found other uses for the device.

So now we should never click on links within emails, never answer calls and now also continue to ignore texts with links, even if they look real. At this point, it’s better to just toss our smartphones into a fire pit and be done with technology.