Chinese criminal gangs have made more than $1 billion over the last three years using an elaborate scam involving phony text messages , fake government fees, stolen identities, and world-spanning mobile payment technology, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

As part of these scams, the groups use remotely operated “SIM farms,” located anywhere from auto shops to shared office spaces, to send out thousands of text messages to unsuspecting Americans , who get messages often warning them of some kind of unpaid government toll or fine.

“One person in a room with a SIM farm can send out the number of text messages that 1,000 phone numbers could send out,” Adam Parks, an assistant special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations, told The Wall Street Journal

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