With her son in the back seat

How a Chinese Man Blocked Emergency Calls Around the Song Contest

In the trunk, the Chinese man had equipment capable of jamming up to 100,000 cell phones simultaneously.(Bild: LPD Wien)

For more than a month, a 32-year-old Chinese man targeted countless cell phones around major events in Vienna in an attempt to cripple them. The dangerous scheme—investigators have now revealed further details—came to an end during Eurovision week. 

The “Krone” report about the Chinese citizen, who—in addition to other unnamed major events—is said to have sent massive amounts of scam text messages around Song Contest events in Vienna, thereby crippling countless phones, caused quite a stir. On Tuesday, the Vienna State Police Directorate then released further details about the 32-year-old and his rather unusual scam method.

Mobile carrier provided the first hot lead
Specifically, a mobile phone provider reportedly told police that, since April 6, phishing text messages—likely several million fraudulent messages—had been sent on a massive scale in the greater Vienna area via one or more unknown devices.

The 32-year-old Chinese man’s six-month-old son was also in the car.

Wiens Polizeisprecher Markus Dittrich

Bild: LPD Wien/Elbe

Through targeted efforts, the Chinese man was located at 3:45 p.m. on May 14—the Cobra unit arrested the man. During the fraudulent activities, the suspect’s six-month-old son was sitting in the backseat.

Up to 100,000 messages per hour from the trunk
The car’s trunk, on the other hand, was full of technical equipment, including a so-called SMS blaster capable of sending up to 100,000 messages—per hour, according to police. If you open the fake package or mobile carrier SMS, calls are temporarily blocked—including emergency calls. 

Another SMS blaster, as well as numerous cell phones, tablets, and laptops, were found in the Chinese man’s apartment.(Bild: LPD Wien)

During a search of the residence, authorities discovered another blaster, ten cell phones, four computers, and additional equipment. The Chinese national, who is now in custody, has confessed to the charges.

The police emphasize the “excellent cooperation” between IT investigators and forensic experts, investigators from the State Criminal Police Office, and specialists from the C4 Cyber Division at the Federal Criminal Police Office.

Investigations into the Chinese man’s clients
The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence as well as the Cybercrime Unit of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office were also involved in the investigation and the arrest. The investigation is ongoing—including against the Chinese man’s clients.