THE Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, headed by Brigadier General Sydney S. Hernia, has urged all Filipinos to be wary of the latest tricks being employed by online scammers to dupe their victims amid the post-SIM Registration Law period.

The PNP-ACG’s claim on the ever-evolving tactics of scammers came amid the alarm raised by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission regarding the continuing text scams in the country even though over 118 million subscribers have already registered their Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.

PAOCC Executive Director Gilbert DC Cruz said that together with all other law enforcement agencies in the country, they are calling on all telecommunication companies to strengthen their SIM registration system to prevent criminals from registering fake accounts and SIM cards they are using to commit fraud.

According to the PAOCC official, they are continuously supporting the National Telecommunications Commission in its effort to efficiently implement the SIM Card law.

“Ang PAOCC ay patuloy na nananawagan na ituloy ang implementation ng SIM Card Registratiojn Law sa isang maayos na pamamaraan.

Sinusubukan naming tawagan ang pansin ng publiko sa problemang ito kaya naglalabas kami ng mga suggestions para mapag-usapan ito ng mga tao ang ng mga policy-maakers.

Pero never po naming i-propose na maisantabi ang batas na ito sapagkat alam naming na mahalaga ito para sa laban sa cybercrimes,” Cruz added.

However, the PNP-ACG said it has registered a 50 percent decrease in SIM card-related crimes—or from 2,18 one month before the full implementation of the SIM Card Registration Law to 1,134 cases one month after.

But he added it is also vital for the citizenry to remember that scammers are not resting.

“Furthermore, scammers have begun to dabble in the purchase of fresh, inactive SIM cards–cards they have no intention of registering.

Instead, they employ these dormant SIM cards to capture One-Time Passwords (OTPs), granting them entry to popular social messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber.

Through these apps, they establish internet connections via Over-The-Top (OTT) services, eluding the scrutiny of telecommunications companies,” he added.

The PNP-ACG said that in their quest to circumvent the SIM registration law, scammers have devised a novel approach – the acquisition of inactive SIM cards.

These SIM cards remain dormant until registered, allowing them to accept incoming calls and text messages while restricting their ability to initiate outbound communication.

Capitalizing on this opportunity, scammers snatch up these unregistered SIM cards, forsaking the registration process altogether. Instead, they rely on Wi-Fi networks for connectivity.

These unregistered SIM cards serve as gateways for scammers to intercept OTPs, empowering them to create accounts on well-known social messaging platforms.

Subsequently, they exploit these accounts to disseminate spam messages, links and various scams to unsuspecting individuals.

These deceptive activities remain cloaked in the veil of internet anonymity, facilitated through Over-The-Top (OTT) messaging platforms.

Once their purpose is fulfilled, these SIM cards are discarded, leaving no trace of their origin, the PNP-ACG director said.

Another cause for concern, he said, arises from scammers procuring registered SIM cards and digital wallet accounts.

Often, individuals grappling with financial hardship inadvertently provide scammers with the tools they need to commit fraudulent acts. With an unlimited number of SIM cards permitted under one person’s name, some have exploited this loophole by selling surplus, unused SIM cards to scammers for financial gain.

The PNP-ACG director said they remain steadfast in their commitment to monitor and combat the evolving strategies of scammers to safeguard the community’s safety and security.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon