European police bust network selling thousands of phone numbers to scammers

International law enforcement has dismantled a network that sold phone numbers registered to people in more than 80 countries, enabling scammers to commit crimes across Europe.

During an international operation last week, Latvian police arrested five people suspected of running the illegal service, including its alleged organizer, Europol said on Friday. Officers also seized five servers, 40,000 active SIM cards, and 1,200 SIM box devices, which allow criminals to exploit mobile networks by inserting and using hundreds of cards simultaneously.

Investigators linked the group to more than 3,000 cyber fraud cases, mostly in Austria and Latvia, with combined losses exceeding 5 million euros ($5.8 million).

A video released by Latvian police showed officers raiding an office filled with computers, technical equipment, and stacks of SIM cards. One of the main suspects had previously been investigated in Estonia for arson and extortion, authorities said.

According to Europol, the network’s online platform allowed criminals to rent phone numbers and use them to open fake accounts on social media and messaging platforms. These accounts were then used in crimes including phishing, fraud, extortion, migrant smuggling and the distribution of child sexual abuse material.

The service appeared to operate as a legitimate business. Authorities estimate that more than 49 million online accounts were created using the illicit service, with criminals relying on it to conceal their identities and locations. 

Europol said the network’s infrastructure was technically advanced and professionally organized, featuring a polished website and a global logistics operation to procure SIM cards from dozens of countries.

Latvian police described the operation as unprecedented in scale. “This is a fairly new and unique scheme — we thought for a long time about how to fight it. This is something new for Europe and the whole world,” police spokesman Markuns told local outlet Delfi.

A U.S. government raid of a large “SIM farm” operation drew attention in September when officials said it potentially posed a risk to the U.N. compound and critical infrastructure.

The European investigation is ongoing as law enforcement agencies continue to identify users of the service and assess the full extent of the damage.