AMID an alarm raised by the Philippine National Police and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission over continuing text scams despite the end of the Mandatory SIM Card Registration Law, an estimated P1 billion worth of money and cryptocurrencies have been found linked to thousands of SIM cards seized by government agents in various raids of POGO hubs since July, the Journal Group learned.

Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy said the huge amount of money and cryptocurrencies are linked to SIM cards confiscated by agents of the PAOCC, the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation during a series of raids in POGO facilities in Metro Manila.

The official in particular cited the raid in Pasay City where over 25,000 Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards were recovered during a PAOCC-supervised raid.

That raid prompted the PNP and the PAOCC to raise the alarm bell over continuing text scams in the country even though over 118 million subscribers have already registered their SIM cards.

PNP chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. and the PAOCC chaired by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and its Executive Director, Gilbert DC Cruz, have mentioned the bulk sale of SIM cards is “very alarming.”

Sec. Uy revealed that the registered SIM cards and the linked e-wallets are the likely depository of money stolen from various scams by criminal syndicates.

“Access namin e-wallets, nakita namin bakit itong SIM card may P50,000, sinaksak yung isang SIM card, bakit may P100,000 itong SIM card na ito,” he said.

The official likewise confirmed that text scams still exist despite the SIM registration law because many consumers have sold or continue to sell their registered SIM while some registered their SIM cards using fake identification cards.

The DICT chief also warned the public that some scammers are already moving to other platforms, including Messenger and Viber.

Thus, they called on the citizenry to be on alert and wary of suspicious acts online whether text or even emails.

The Journal Group has found out that different social media sites, specifically Facebook Marketplace, continue to advertise the ‘bulk sale’ of new and used SIM Cards and Prepaid Phone Cards.

The National Privacy Commission earlier warned the public against individuals who offer to buy their registered SIM cards. Reports disclosed that registered SIM cards are being brought for P1,000 each.

However, the practice puts the original SIM card owners at risk as it might expose them to legal trouble when the SIM card registered in their name is used in fraudulent online activities and other high-tech scams.

The public has been advised to thoroughly scrutinize the intention of people buying their SIM cards and to ensure that they will verify the credibility of the SIM card buyers.

Officials also reminded the public that proper identity verification procedures must be followed when registering their SIM cards.

The law says that those who sell or transfer the ownership of their registered SIM card without following the proper procedure may be imprisoned from six months to six years, or fined P100,000 to P300,000, or both.

The National Telecommunications Commission also said that individuals who entered false details when they registered their SIM cards would face penalties.

Individuals who will enter false registration details may face imprisonment from 6 months to 2 years or a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.

“NTC officials cannot explain the matter which for us is very alarming since we are getting information from various open sources regarding the continued bulk sale of SIM cards in the country,” a top security official told the Journal Group on condition of anonymity.

The official said they also wonder why different social media sites, specifically Facebook Marketplace, continue to advertise the ‘bulk sale’ of new and used SIM Cards and Prepaid Phone Cards.

One site says a Filipino Smart and Globe SIM card can be bought for P40 or roughly US$0.70 while a Dito SIM card fetches a price of P49 or US$.90. On the other hand, Cherry Prepaid, GOMO, TM and TNT SIM cards are being sold for P29 to as much as P299 each or between US $0.50 to US$2.25 from resellers like convenience stores and kiosks.

Other officials said that apart from the very big possibility that many of those who registered their SIM cards before the end of the extended SIM registration period could have used fake identification cards, high-tech SIM card copying machines have already been smuggled into the country by big-time syndicates engaged in online scams.

Last August 2 alone, around 28,000 registered SIM cards were found in a raided POGO facility in Pasay City.

The recovery of the SIM cards which were attempted to be dumped by operators of the raided Rivendell Global Gaming, Inc. facility came just a week after the July 25 deadline for the SIM registration.

The recovery of thousands of SIM cards inside raided POGO facilities, where online frauds like the so-called ‘Love Scam’ are taking place, is proof that they are being used for unlawful purposes, sources said.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon