Man from Acton Jailed for Orchestrating Tube 'SMS blaster' Scam
Device hidden in suitcase aimed to obtain commuters' bank details
Left: Zhijia Fan. Right: The device used in a suitcase with holes in it. Picture: BTP
A man from Acton mwho led a sophisticated fraud operation that used hidden “SMS blaster” devices to target London Underground passengers has been jailed following a major British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.
Zhijia Fan, 48, of Winchester Street, Acton, was sentenced to four years and eight months at Inner London Crown Court on 24 February after admitting conspiracy to defraud and possession of articles used in fraud. Detectives described him as the “head of the crime group” responsible for a plot that attempted to harvest bank details from unsuspecting commuters across the Tube network.
Fan’s operation relied on SMS blasters—devices disguised inside large suitcases that mimic legitimate mobile phone masts. When commuters’ phones connected to them, the devices sent mass text messages purporting to be from delivery companies such as Royal Mail and Evri. The messages falsely claimed that parcels could not be delivered and directed recipients to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal and banking information.
The scam came to light on 11 March 2025, when an off-duty BTP detective spotted a man sitting on the Northern line platform at King’s Cross with a suitcase perforated with holes and emitting a green flash. Officers detained the man and seized the case, discovering the concealed SMS blaster inside.
Two weeks later, on 25 March, BTP officers in plain clothes intercepted a second device at Baker Street station, this time carried by Wan Mohd Hafiz, 41, of Paddington. Hafiz was later jailed for one year and two months.
As detectives traced the equipment and financial flows behind the scam, intelligence quickly identified Fan as the organiser. He was arrested the same day as the Baker Street seizure, during a raid at his home in Acton. Searches of properties linked to Fan and his associates uncovered antennas, power units and other components used to build SMS blasters, along with 10,832 gift cards loaded with more than £80,000 in fraudulently obtained funds.
Fan’s right-hand man, Daoyan Shang, 20, of Shepherd’s Bush, was also arrested on 25 March and received a sentence of two years and ten months. Another member of the group, Gatis Lauks, 25, was given a two-year suspended sentence for purchasing gift cards using victims’ stolen bank details.
Detective Inspector Tim Weekes of BTP said the group had attempted to “plunder the bank accounts of unsuspecting commuters” by hiding their devices in suitcases on busy platforms. He praised the vigilance of the off-duty detective who first spotted the suspicious equipment, adding that the investigation drew on expertise from mobile network operators, the National Cyber Security Centre and Ofcom.
BTP officers say the case highlights the importance of reporting suspicious activity and remaining cautious about unsolicited messages claiming to be from delivery companies.
One man linked to the operation, Jinhua Zhang, 58, who was found with the first SMS blaster at King’s Cross, left the UK after being released on bail.
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