The U.S. Secret Service is dismantling extensive “SIM Farms” in the New York area, especially as world leaders convene for U.N. conferences. Matt McCool, a special agent in the New York Field office, reported discovering multiple sites housing servers and over 100,000 active SIM cards, indicating a sophisticated and potentially state-sponsored operation.
These SIM Farms use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to send bulk messages and calls, initially developed for legitimate uses but now exploited for organized fraud, including phishing scams. The devices were located within 35 miles of the U.N., raising concerns about their potential use for surveillance or communication by criminal organizations and terrorist groups.
Experts warn that the scale of the operation poses serious threats to communications networks, potentially overwhelming them with millions of calls. The situation underscores the vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure posed by such technology. Investigations are ongoing, with no arrests made yet, and analysts highlight the global interconnectedness that allows such schemes to exploit local weaknesses.
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