Europol Dismantles Latvia-Based SIMCARTEL Network Behind 49 Million Fake Accounts

Overview

• Seven suspects were arrested in a Europol- and Eurojust-coordinated action with Latvian and Austrian authorities.
• Seizures included 1,200 SIM boxes, over 40,000 active SIM cards, five servers, two service websites, four luxury vehicles, $330,000 in cryptocurrency, and roughly $500,000 frozen in bank accounts.
• Authorities tied the operation to at least 1,700 fraud cases in Austria and about 1,500 in Latvia, with confirmed losses totaling at least $5.7 million.
• The network supplied phone numbers used in more than 80 countries to run phishing, smishing, extortion, and fake marketplace, banking, and investment scams.
• Described as a SIM farm-for-hire enabling crime-as-a-service, the network remains under investigation with further asset tracing and potential arrests expected.