SIM boxes send text messages to unsuspecting Australians ‘every two seconds’

Relentless text messages are flooding Australians’ phones purporting to be from banks, supermarkets and toll operators.

According to police, SIM boxes are behind the influx, which can hold which can hold up to 100 SIM cards and are capable of sending out a text message every two seconds.

The machines are traditionally used for for legitimate purposes including advertising or electoral campaigns, however they are now being seized from suburban homes for being used to run scam operations.

Eight were taken in a raid on a home in MacGregor last month along with hundreds of SIM cards.

Two were found in a Southport home earlier this year, responsible for sending 1.7 million messages over just two weeks. 

“They’ll usually ask the recipient to click on a link, which will take them to a website asking for their personal information and sometimes financial information,” Professor Dr Cassandra Cross from the Queensland University of Technology said.

“The more devices you have the more text messages you can send and potentially the more victims can lose their personal information,” Queensland Police detective Brett Weder said.

Each SIM card is registered to a real person who is themselves victims of identity theft, whose details were likely compromised as part of major data breaches.