Toronto police charged three men in Canada’s first SMS blaster prosecution after a mobile device disrupted 13 million network connections and reached tens of thousands of devices.
Key Takeaways
SMS blasters mimic legitimate cell towers; nearby phones auto-connect and receive smishing messages impersonating banks and trusted organizations.
The device was vehicle-mounted and mobile, letting operators traverse the Greater Toronto Area and avoid fixed-location detection.
13 million network disruptions were logged over several months, with measurable interference in 9-1-1 connectivity during active sessions.
Project Lighthouse began November 2025 after a telecom security partner flagged anomalous tower behavior; warrants executed March 31, 2026 in Markham and Hamilton.
Multiple SMS blaster units were seized alongside electronic evidence, suggesting operational scale beyond a single prototype.
