Tube passengers targeted in text scam, court told

Tube passengers were targeted in a text message scam using homemade "SMS blasters" hidden inside suitcases, a court heard.

Inner London Crown Court was told that travellers on the London Underground received texts claiming a parcel delivery had failed, along with a link to "resolve" the issue. But prosecutors said the real aim was to "plunder their bank accounts".

The practice, known as "smishing" - SMS and phishing - aims to trick people into giving personal details by making texts look as though they come from reputable companies.

Zhijia Fan, 48, and Daoyan Shang, 20, both of no fixed abode, deny conspiracy to defraud and possessing an article for use in fraud between January and March 2025.

Prosecutor Alex Davidson told the court the text messages invited recipients to "input their personal details" so that the information could be used to "access and take money from the bank accounts of ordinary members of the public".

He said the scam relied on using "a rather sophisticated device, which is adapted for the sole purpose of defrauding".

Davidson said the device, known as an SMS blaster, worked by "masquerading as a legitimate cell tower, tricking nearby phones into connecting to it instead of their normal network" and, once connected, sending fraudulent messages containing links to fake websites.

The prosecution claims Fan led the gang and directed others to operate the devices on the London Underground, with Shang acting as his "right-hand man".

Davidson told the jury there was "no doubt that there was a conspiracy to defraud the public by deploying SMS blasters on the Underground" but said the question was "whether Mr Fan and Mr Shang were part of that conspiracy".

The court heard that the suitcases used had reinforced metal bottoms with holes punched into them to provide ventilation for the "rather bulky and heavy" base stations, which frequently broke down.

The scheme began to unravel when an off‑duty British Transport Police officer noticed one of the suspicious suitcases being dragged around, jurors were told.

The trial continues.

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