How Criminals Paid the FBI to Spy on Them

In June 2021, police in 16 countries raided hundreds of homes within the same few days. The suspects had one thing in common: they all trusted the same "uncrackable" encrypted phone, ANOM. They paid thousands of dollars for it, bought it only through criminal contacts, and used it to plan cocaine shipments, move money and order violence. They never knew the phone company was run by the FBI. In this documentary we follow the story from the takedown of Phantom Secure in Canada, to the informant who handed his unfinished phone to the FBI, the master key that copied every message, and the criminal salesmen, including fugitive Hakan Ayik and Swedish underworld figure Maximilian "Microsoft" Rivkin, who sold the trap to their own networks. 12,000 devices, 27 million messages, 300 syndicates in 100+ countries, and court fights that are still going on. This is the true story of ANOM, the biggest sting in FBI history. Chapters: 0:00 Entry 004 2:28 Phantom 5:07 The Trojan 9:35 The Salesmen 13:47 The Glass Room 18:52 The Takedown Sources & References DOJ: Trojan Shield announcement — https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/fbi-s-encrypted-phone-platform-infiltrated-hundreds-criminal-syndicates-result-massive FBI affidavit (Trojan Shield search warrant) — https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/press-release/file/1402426/download DOJ: Phantom Secure CEO sentenced — https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/chief-executive-communications-company-sentenced-prison-providing-encryption-services U.S. v. Ayik et al. docket — https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59969111/united-states-v-ayik/ AFP: Operation Ironside — https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/afp-led-operation-ironside-smashes-organised-crime Europol: 800 criminals arrested — https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/800-criminals-arrested-in-biggest-ever-law-enforcement-operation-against-encrypted-communication ABC News: Hakan Ayik and Ironside — https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-09/fugitive-hakan-ayik-unwittingly-helped-operation-ironside/100198164 404 Media: the country that wiretapped the world — https://www.404media.co/revealed-the-country-that-secretly-wiretapped-the-world-for-the-fbi/ Joseph Cox, Dark Wire / Motherboard — https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7e733/anom-fbi-andrew-young-encryption-honeypot High Court of Australia: CD v Commonwealth [2025] HCA 37 — https://www.hcourt.gov.au/sites/default/files/judgment-summaries/2025-10/hca-37-2025-10-08.pdf Footage (time in this video — source): 0:00 ABC News (Australia) — https://youtu.be/8W-zgJEFP1s 0:01 9 News — https://youtu.be/nU4oifE5F-8 0:02 TRT World (AFP handout) — https://youtu.be/oo2ElAOUICU 0:04 ITV News — https://youtu.be/kug1Sf3LUk0 0:07 Australian Federal Police press conference — https://youtu.be/GIUOoXIWlr0 0:11 Channel 4 News — https://youtu.be/FLxupfGnok0 0:23 ABC News (Australia) — https://youtu.be/DidDVkK8fwQ 0:25 France 24 — https://youtu.be/WYiLsyHo674 0:29 Europol press conference — https://youtu.be/e443mE8l-_0 0:31 10 News First — https://youtu.be/WcoXzFzbmvU 0:33 Reuters — https://youtu.be/HxyykL5BiRA 0:38 Global News — https://youtu.be/XENd3x9OqlE 0:48 Hugh Jeffreys (ANOM handset) — https://youtu.be/EA1KS-xh0n0 1:34 7NEWS — https://youtu.be/yVrZIKRFZNk 1:37 7NEWS — https://youtu.be/_EcseOMPbJI 1:40 U.S. Department of Justice press conference — https://youtu.be/S89O0nis_ss 1:42 7NEWS — https://youtu.be/v0D37mC7CUI 2:06 DHA — https://youtu.be/GF-DNu1d7C8 2:36 CBC The Fifth Estate — https://youtu.be/4eWgExnsq-o 3:29 1News (NZ) — https://youtu.be/WCM4YAn7RR4 3:31 Joseph Cox, DEF CON 32 talk — https://youtu.be/uFyk5UOyNqI 5:32 CBC News — https://youtu.be/_a77eqNb5Ns 5:49 A Current Affair — https://youtu.be/QXToWSPYw90 8:05 KPBS News — https://youtu.be/iIxRAJhf-J4 9:41 60 Minutes Australia — https://youtu.be/zoAJPOfSxUs 11:41 Guardia Civil — https://youtu.be/gS0aroHV8fM 12:20 SBS News — https://youtu.be/r6k14ymCvv0 12:38 Eurojust — https://youtu.be/iC7AuXKjexU 12:43 Sky News — https://youtu.be/NuSBJ2JtQS8 12:46 National Crime Agency (UK) — https://youtu.be/Nyy2ueZ1JYs 12:56 MediaTV — https://youtu.be/_cF3gwz-v2w 13:19 De Telegraaf — https://youtu.be/2r-y_mjmJn8 14:28 WNL — https://youtu.be/1naJTCK7uKM 15:06 TC Televisión — https://youtu.be/pX1kscIPwU0 15:27 Guardia Civil — https://youtu.be/NOsHQ1gxuic 15:30 Guardia Civil — https://youtu.be/1sP5E7jNlOM 16:43 ABC 7.30 — https://youtu.be/2_YuHRbPkP0 17:28 9 News — https://youtu.be/6lid7prFjgU 20:10 FOX 5 San Diego — https://youtu.be/ijLX8Gij0kk 25:24 VOA Türkçe — https://youtu.be/HWBuSWKoihw 25:27 TRT Haber — https://youtu.be/LDhyYanBBPI 26:17 X Factor News — https://youtu.be/7flWVKtYcZc 26:38 9 News — https://youtu.be/svbvUCx42mA News footage used for commentary and reporting (fair use). #ANOM #FBI #TrueCrimeDocumentary #OrganizedCrime #OperationIronside