SIM farms lose their fraudulent harvest
The government plans to ban criminal SIM farms, finally tackling the agricultural sector responsible for Britain’s bumper crop of “Hello Mum, this is my new number” messages.
The devices hold many SIM cards and send scam texts on an industrial scale. They also create online accounts in bulk. Apparently, crime discovered economies of scale shortly after discovering the exclamation mark.
Possession or supply without a legitimate reason will become an offence. The UK says this marks a European first. Scammers must now prove that their cupboard of 400 phone numbers supports a wholesome community project.
The Rural Payments Agency for Suspicious Mobiles denied any connection. It has never subsidised a SIM harvest, inspected a charging cable or issued wellington boots to a fraudster.
“We knew the crop had failed when every message claimed to need £900 by tea,” said Clive Unsubscribe, Chief Inspector of Unexpected Parcels. “Healthy telecommunications do not ask for gift cards.”
Telecoms operators have blocked more than one billion suspected scam messages since 2023. Even so, two-thirds of British adults report receiving a suspicious message. The remaining third may simply believe the Post Office genuinely holds seventeen parcels for them.
The ban should remove a useful tool from organised fraud. Criminals will now return to traditional methods, including mysterious boiler warranties and voicemail from a bank you have never joined.
Read the real story: Government plans to ban criminal SIM farms.
The ban is expected to make life harder for industrial scammers, who will have to modernise their operations by pretending to be your energy supplier from a laptop like everyone else. Ministers urge the public to remain alert. Any text beginning “Hello Mum” should be treated with suspicion, especially if you have no children or are called Derek.
