SIMCARTEL Cybercrime Network Dismantled in Europol-Led Operation

An international law enforcement operation has dismantled SIMCARTEL, a major cybercrime-as-a-service network responsible for enabling thousands of online fraud cases across Europe. Conducted on 10 October 2025 in Latvia, the coordinated action led to five arrests, 26 searches, and the seizure of key infrastructure, including five servers, 1,200 SIM-box devices, and over 40,000 active SIM cards. Authorities also froze EUR 431,000 in bank assets, USD 333,000 in cryptocurrency, and seized luxury vehicles. The network’s associated websites, gogetsms[.]com and apisim[.]com, were taken over by law enforcement. SIMCARTEL’s services provided criminals with access to international phone numbers used to mask identities for phishing, smishing, and large-scale fraud. Linked to over 49 million fake accounts and 3,200 known cases, the operation was coordinated by Europol and Eurojust with support from Austria, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. The takedown marks a major blow to Europe’s cybercrime infrastructure.

18-10-2025