The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has recently seized over 30,000 mobile phone SIM cards nationwide, in an operation aimed at dismantling the criminal infrastructure used for large-scale phone fraud. According to HSI officials, in the past few weeks of June and July, law enforcement officers confiscated a significant amount of electronic devices used in telephone scams from “SIM card farms”. Scammers utilized these farms for mass phone calls and text messages to deceive people into revealing personal information.
A SIM card is a removable microchip embedded in mobile phones used to connect devices to cellular networks. The masterminds and beneficiaries behind these fraudulent activities are usually located overseas, but they require individuals to operate SIM card farms within the U.S.
According to the HSI, this operation is part of “Operation Signal Break” and is aimed at combating such telephone scams. Since 2024, investigators have seized over 500,000 SIM cards and more than $700,000 in illegal proceeds in 15 states. The HSI has arrested 11 individuals for violating immigration laws, with one facing criminal charges.
Kimberly Long, Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Crimes Center, told Bloomberg that HSI’s actions seek to disrupt fraudsters’ tools and systems to prevent their schemes from succeeding. Long stated, “This forces criminals to rebuild their infrastructure. They have to invest more funds, thus slowing down their operations.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2025, Americans suffered losses of up to $3.5 billion due to identity theft scams, including phone scams conducted through SIM card farms.
Court documents revealed that in February 2025, HSI agents discovered a SIM card farm in a residence in Los Angeles, leading to the indictment of Chinese citizen Jinlong Ren for telecommunications equipment fraud. However, it is unclear from court records whether Ren has pleaded guilty to the charges, and his lawyer has not provided a comment on the matter.
An HSI spokesperson mentioned that search warrants related to the seized SIM cards have mostly been sealed and are not accessible to the public.