Kong Ji Chen (Chen Kongji), a 
national who used an SMS blaster to spam commuters with fraudulent text messages during rush hour, was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment on Oct 15, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.
On Tue July 1, 2025, at around 5.30pm, an alert member of the public received a spam text message while traveling on the Victoria Line.
The text claimed to be from Parcel Mail and invited the reader to click on a link to update their details in order to receive a package. Users who did so would then be asked to enter in their personal details.
The member of the public was familiar with SMS blasters and grew suspicious of Chen when he noticed him loitering on the platform with a large suitcase, not getting on any trains or moving on from the platform.
Local officers were alerted and arrived at Victoria Underground station, where Chen was found sitting on a bench next to a large green suitcase. Chen claimed he was waiting for a friend, and claimed the suitcase had been given to him earlier in the day by another man.
Officers searched the suitcase and upon opening it saw a portable battery attached to an electrical unit with a green flashing light and a black antenna. Chen was then immediately arrested and taken into custody.
While at custody, the officer checked his phone and saw that he had received the same spam text message that had been sent to the colleague.
A technical security adviser reported that there were 165 reports to mobile phone carriers of the same spam text message coming from the same number between 2.38pm and 10.37pm on July 1.
CCTV also shows Chen in possession of the same green suitcase at Elephant and Castle station on the previous day (June 30).
In addition to blasting out SMS messages, the device also harvested the IMEI and IMSI numbers of phones it latched on to.
Chen entered Ireland illegally using a false Hong Kong passport and claimed asylum there before entering the UK unlawfully.
btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1
metro.co.uk/2025/10/17/a-n
national who used an SMS blaster to spam commuters with fraudulent text messages during rush hour, was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment on Oct 15, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.
On Tue July 1, 2025, at around 5.30pm, an alert member of the public received a spam text message while traveling on the Victoria Line.
The text claimed to be from Parcel Mail and invited the reader to click on a link to update their details in order to receive a package. Users who did so would then be asked to enter in their personal details.
The member of the public was familiar with SMS blasters and grew suspicious of Chen when he noticed him loitering on the platform with a large suitcase, not getting on any trains or moving on from the platform.
Local officers were alerted and arrived at Victoria Underground station, where Chen was found sitting on a bench next to a large green suitcase. Chen claimed he was waiting for a friend, and claimed the suitcase had been given to him earlier in the day by another man.
Officers searched the suitcase and upon opening it saw a portable battery attached to an electrical unit with a green flashing light and a black antenna. Chen was then immediately arrested and taken into custody.
While at custody, the officer checked his phone and saw that he had received the same spam text message that had been sent to the colleague.
A technical security adviser reported that there were 165 reports to mobile phone carriers of the same spam text message coming from the same number between 2.38pm and 10.37pm on July 1.
CCTV also shows Chen in possession of the same green suitcase at Elephant and Castle station on the previous day (June 30).
In addition to blasting out SMS messages, the device also harvested the IMEI and IMSI numbers of phones it latched on to.
Chen entered Ireland illegally using a false Hong Kong passport and claimed asylum there before entering the UK unlawfully.
btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1
metro.co.uk/2025/10/17/a-n
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