**Chinese Criminal Gangs Earn Over $1 Billion Through Scam Text Messages and Phone Calls**
Chinese criminal gangs have reportedly made over $1 billion in the past three years by using scam text messages and phone calls targeting victims across the United States. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, these spam messages, sent by criminal organizations based in China, often include fake requests for payments that recipients do not actually owe.
Common scam messages include fake toll payments, fraudulent U.S. Postal Service fees, and false claims of unpaid traffic violations. These deceptive messages have been sent out in massive volumes, with investigators linking foreign criminal networks to server farms responsible for sending waves of scam texts nationwide.
Victims of these scams frequently have their credit card information stolen through various phishing websites. U.S.-based gig workers are then recruited, often via the messaging app WeChat, to max out the stolen credit cards.
In September alone, there were as many as 330,000 toll fee scam messages sent in a single day, and the average monthly volume of these texts is rapidly increasing. Adam Parks, assistant special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, explained, “One person in a room with a SIM farm can send out the number of text messages that 1,000 phone numbers could send out.”
These so-called SIM farms, where numerous SIM cards are used to send spam text messages, operate remotely but are located throughout major U.S. cities including Houston and Los Angeles. Authorities have identified as many as 38 such farms across the country, some hidden inside office spaces, auto-repair shops, and even crack houses.
To cover their tracks, the criminals involved in these schemes engage in money laundering by purchasing clothing, cosmetics, and iPhones. Another tactic is buying gift cards, which further obscures the source of the illicit funds. These goods are then often shipped back to China.
Earlier this year, a Chinese national named Heng Yin pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft charges after it was revealed he purchased as many as 70 gift cards using stolen credit card information, highlighting the ongoing international scope of these criminal operations.
Law enforcement agencies continue to work to dismantle these networks and warn the public to remain vigilant against unsolicited messages demanding payments or personal information.
https://www.complex.com/life/a/backwoodsaltar/chinese-gangs-have-made-1-billion-with-spam-calls-and-messages
