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The Toronto Police Service says it has made arrests in what it’s calling a first-of-its-kind cybercrime investigation in Canada involving a mobile “SMS blaster.”
Dubbed Project Lighthouse, the probe uncovered the use of a sophisticated device that mimics a legitimate cell tower to send fraudulent text messages to nearby phones.
Police said in a release that the technology can trick thousands of devices into connecting to it, allowing scammers to send messages that appear to come from trusted organizations such as banks or service providers.
The device was first detected in downtown Toronto in November 2025 and was later tracked moving across the Greater Toronto Area over several months.
During that time, tens of thousands of mobile devices connected to the system, with more than 13 million network disruptions recorded, police said.
In a news conference on Thursday, Toronto police explained that those disruptions could temporarily block access to legitimate cellular networks, including emergency services like 911.
Police executed search warrants at residences in Markham and Hamilton on March 31, seizing multiple devices and electronic evidence. Two people were arrested at the scene and a third person later turned themselves in.
The three individuals are facing dozens of charges, including fraud- and mischief-related offences.
“We’re still looking to identify other victims. We’re not stopping here,” she added.
“It’s very common for us to get scam text messages. We’ve been in conversation with different organizations to see who victims of this may be as well.”
Authorities are urging the public not to click on suspicious links or share personal or login information through unsolicited messages.
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