TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese man has been arrested for working with a Chinese fraud ring that was sending scam messages to mobile phone users using fraudulent base station equipment, the first such case in the country.

The perpetrator, surnamed Kuo (郭), was found to have used illegitimate base station devices that transmit stronger signals in an attempt to trick victims. Kuo was able to get cellphone users to click on phishing websites through SMS messages and stole information including credit card details, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Thursday (April 6).

More than 30 reports were filed with police between September and November last year where users received messages they thought were authentic from Yushan Bank and Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection (ETC). The credit card theft resulted in losses of NT$3 million (US$98,508).

Kuo was arrested on Nov. 18 around the MRT Zhongshan Station in Taipei along with the devices mounted in a rental car. Kuo was then taken into custody by prosecutors in Yunlin.

A fraud ring from China was found to have worked with Kuo by making unauthorized purchases using the stolen data of the victims. At least 30,000 text messages were sent, while 30 people were defrauded.

Citing a cybersecurity expert, PTS said people should be vigilant when they experience anomalies in their cellular networks when visiting crowded places like scenic sites, malls, or subway stations.