How much does an army of bots cost? How likes and clout are bought


Need a hand in getting some extra likes? A dollar gets you a dozen fake and 'verified' accounts on Facebook posting on your behalf, according to new research into the large international grey market in SIM mobile phone cards. — Peter Kneffel/dpa

LONDON: A massive international grey market in mobile phone SIM cards is fuelling large-scale manipulation and fraud online, a University of Cambridge study has found.

The researchers say physical and virtual SIMs from providers like SMSActivate, 5Sim, SMShub and SMSPVA are being used to verify fake accounts on social media platforms and e-commerce services.

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