Canadian law enforcement arrested three men who face 44 charges for operating an SMS blaster device that mimicked a legitimate cellular tower. The device was operated from vehicles, allowing it to move throughout the Greater Toronto Area and operate in multiple locations.

When a phone connects to an SMS blaster, the user receives fraudulent text messages that appear to come from trusted organizations. These messages often prompt recipients to click on links leading to fake websites designed to capture personal information such as banking credentials and passwords.

This is the first time that Canada is facing with this kind of threat.

“What makes this particularly concerning is the scale and impact,” Rob Johnson, Deputy Chief of the Toronto Police Service, said during a news conference at police headquarters on April 23.

“This wasn’t targeting a single individual or business. It had the ability to reach thousands of devices at once. And beyond the financial risk, there are real public safety implications. For instance, when devices are diverted from legitimate networks, even briefly, it interferes with a person’s ability to connect to emergency services.”

Investigation timeline

In November 2025, a cybersecurity partner alerted law enforcement to a suspected SMS blaster operating in downtown Toronto, leading to an investigation called Project Lighthouse.

Two men were arrested on March 31 after Toronto Police executed search warrants at residences in Markham and Hamilton. A third man surrendered to police on April 21. Investigators seized a large quantity of electronic devices, including several SMS blasters.

Authorities believe tens of thousands of devices connected to the blaster over several months. They also identified more than 13 million network disruptions during which devices were unable to connect to legitimate cell towers, affecting access to services such as 911.