Bukit Aman reports that scammers are leveraging mobile technology to carry out a new type of scam through SMS, according to Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) Director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf.
The department became aware of this method after a telecom company raised concerns. With this approach, scammers can dispatch fraudulent SMS messages to individuals in proximity to a manipulated base transceiver station (BTS), according to The Star.
These stations, responsible for facilitating wireless communication between mobile phones and telecom networks, are being altered by scammers to disrupt data connection speeds, forcing phones to switch to a 2G connection.
Once a phone loses connection to legitimate signals, it becomes susceptible to connecting to a “pirate signal” used for spamming within the BTS range.
Ramli explained that individuals in areas like shopping malls, near these BTS, receive SMS messages prompting them to click a link leading to fake websites offering unrealistically cheap electronics.
Those deceived by the low prices may end up on a payment gateway where they are charged higher amounts than advertised.
Ramli cautioned consumers, reminding them that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission prohibited the sending of URLs via SMS since April 2023.
