Authorities arrest phishing scammer behind fraudulent police text messages

AMMAN — The Preventive Security Unit said on Monday that it has arrested an Asian national suspected of orchestrating a phishing scam that targeted citizens with fraudulent text messages.

According to a spokesperson from the Public Security Directorate (PSD), the scam came to light on Sunday when several citizens received deceptive messages that appeared to be from Jordanian police, adding that the messages falsely claimed that recipients needed to click a link to check their traffic violation records and avoid penalties.

"In response, authorities swiftly initiated an investigation, assembling a specialized team from the Preventive Security Unit, Cybersecurity Unit, and Cybercrime Unit to track down the suspect, the spokesperson said. 

He also noted that investigators successfully blocked the fraudulent link, preventing further scams, adding that their investigation traced the origin of the messages to a sender operating within Jordan. 

"Using advanced tracking methods, security forces identified the suspect’s location in an apartment in northern Amman. A raid was carried out, leading to the suspect’s arrest."

A subsequent search of the premises uncovered a large number of SIM cards, magnetic cards, card readers, laptops, and other electronic devices associated with the scam. The spokesperson emphasised that investigations are ongoing.