SMS Blaster: The Fake Mobile Mast Behind HMRC Texts
Your phone connects to the strongest mast nearby. A criminal in a car found a way to be that mast, and the filters your mobile network uses to block scam texts never saw the message.
By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 11, 2026City of London Police say a man was sentenced on June 3, 2026 to 48 months for supplying articles for use in fraud, running concurrently with 24 months for conspiring to commit fraud. The device was an illegitimate mobile phone mast in a vehicle that sent fraudulent texts posing as HMRC. A co-defendant was sentenced in July 2025. See how scammers get your phone number.
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Most scam text messages travel through a mobile network, where filters can block known bad senders and harmful links. The SMS blaster case is different, because the messages were sent without using the network at all.
What happened
According to Report Fraud and City of London Police, a man was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on June 3, 2026 to 48 months for supplying articles for use in fraud and 24 months for conspiring to commit fraud by false representation, to run at the same time. He had been convicted in March 2026. A co-defendant was sentenced in July 2025.
The device was installed in a vehicle. The co-defendant was arrested while driving in North London with it operating, and officers near the vehicle received fraudulent texts purporting to be from HMRC. Officers searched the other man's home on August 20, 2025, and he was arrested on September 1, 2025.
How it worked
The release describes the SMS blaster as an illegitimate mobile phone mast. It forces nearby phones to connect to it, diverting them from their real network providers. That lets criminals bypass safeguards that block malicious sender names and harmful links.
In effect, a message that would have been caught by a filter arrives without being checked, and can display a sender name such as HMRC. The range is local, so a moving vehicle can reach people in each area it passes through.
What was exposed
The release does not describe what data the texts were designed to collect. A message posing as the tax authority typically aims to send the reader to a fake page, but the release does not detail this and we do not claim it.
How it ended
This is a conviction, but the release does not give the number of messages or victims. What it shows is that police can find and stop this equipment, and that the courts treat supplying it as serious.
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How the sentences were set
The release describes two sentences for one man that run at the same time: 48 months for supplying articles for use in fraud, and 24 months for conspiring to commit fraud by false representation. The longer one effectively sets his time in custody.
Supplying equipment is treated as seriously as using it. That matters because the people who build or provide tools such as this are often several steps away from the victims, but their role makes the scams possible at scale.
Key facts at a glance
- Sentence: 48 months and 24 months, running concurrently
- Sentencing date: June 3, 2026
- Device: an illegitimate mobile phone mast in a vehicle
- Message theme: fraudulent texts posing as HMRC
- Co-defendant: sentenced in July 2025
- Report suspicious texts to: 7726
How to protect yourself
1Do not tap links in unexpected texts
Even if a message looks like HMRC or a delivery firm, go to the official site by typing the address.
2Forward suspicious messages to 7726
This is the reporting service for scam texts in the UK.
3Remember that a familiar sender name proves nothing
Spoofed names can appear in the same thread as real messages.
4Check your accounts if you did enter details
Our guide on how scammers get your phone number covers follow-up steps.
What the release does not say
The release does not say how many people received texts or how many lost money. For an earlier UK case of fake government texts sent over the normal network, see the fake Covid tax refund texts.
Why this case matters
For years, the advice about scam texts has leaned on network filtering. Mobile operators block many bad messages before they arrive. The blaster case shows a way around that: if the phone is persuaded to connect to a different transmitter, the network never gets a chance to filter the message.
The co-defendant was found while the device was running, and officers nearby received the same fraudulent texts. For users, the important advice is unchanged but more important: a text that reaches your phone is not checked for you. Treat every unexpected link with suspicion.
The practical next step is similar for most people. Read up on how to tell a real breach notice from a phishing message, how credential stuffing works and what to do after your email appears in a breach, then review your own accounts. You can also try our free email exposure check.
Sources
- Report Fraud: Man jailed for role in SMS blaster fraud operation (sentences, conviction, search and arrest dates, fake mast)
Frequently asked questions
What is an SMS blaster?
According to police, an illegitimate mobile phone mast that forces nearby phones to connect to it, so scam texts bypass network filters.
What sentence was given?
48 months for supplying articles for use in fraud, running concurrently with 24 months for conspiring to commit fraud.
Where should I forward suspicious texts?
To 7726, the UK reporting number for scam texts.
Can network filters stop these texts?
Not reliably in this case, because the device diverted phones away from their real networks, so network safeguards did not see the messages.
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