July 24, 2026Washington, DCCyber Crimes
ICE HSI dismantles 'SIM farms' in nationwide cyber fraud crackdown
An HSI Special Agent documents SIM boxes found during the execution of a search warrant.HSI special agents seized multiple short message service gateways also known as SIM boxes being operated illegally within the United States. The SIM boxes are used by criminal organizations to send “pig butchering” and phishing text messages for the purpose of defrauding U.S. victims and U.S. financial institutions.SIM boxes found in a residence in the Los Angeles area.HSI Miami - special agents breaking down the SIM boxes and removing the SIM cards.HSI Miami - how the SIM boxes were setup in the storage unit.ICE HSI dismantles 'SIM farms' in nationwide cyber fraud crackdown
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has executed a nationwide operation targeting illegal SIM box operations run by Transnational Criminal Organizations. Operation Signal Break, conducted from June 22 to July 10, resulted in the dismantling of critical command-and-control infrastructure used to perpetrate large-scale telecommunications fraud across the United States.
Led by the DHS Cyber Crimes Center (C3), with significant assistance from HSI Los Angeles, Operation Signal Break mobilized specialized “SIM Box Surge Teams” of Special Agents, Criminal Analysts, and Computer Forensics Analysts to high-risk areas including Los Angeles, Miami, Tampa, Houston, Boston, New York and New Jersey. The coordinated effort involved more than 11 HSI field offices and spanned 5 states.
Operation Signal Break is the latest initiative targeting illegal SIM box operations across the United States. Since 2024, HSI has executed over 116 federal criminal search warrants, seizing more than 500,000 SIM cards, over 1,900 SIM boxes, and more than $700,000 in illicit proceeds. HSI's investigations have led to one criminal arrest, 11 administrative arrests, and the disruption of 68 SIM farms in 15 states used to facilitate fraudulent texts and calls. These actions were often coordinated across regions to prevent criminal organizations from reconfiguring their infrastructure to evade law enforcement.
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-hsi-dismantles-sim-farms-nationwide-cyber-fraud-crackdown
