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Manila Bulletin devider Technews devider Public-private cooperation nets text scam enabler

Public-private cooperation nets text scam enabler

Published Sep 18, 2022 07:40 am

In a joint effort by Globe Telecom, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine National Police Anti Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Mark Deo Antang, a resident of Camarin, Caloocan City, was recently arrested in entrapment operations for selling GCash-registered SIM cards.

Antang, on September 14 2022, was caught red handed selling Globe and TM SIM cards with verified GCash accounts.

The suspect faces charges on violation of Republic Act 10175 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Section 4 of which classifies Misuse of Devices as a cybercrime offense.

Globe Group Chief Legal Counsel Froilan Castelo thanked the NTC under the leadership of Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, the NBI and the PNP ACG, for the effort in the entrapment operations.

Castelo said that, “People who sell GCash-registered SIM cards enable criminality by being accessories to fraud. We will not relent in this campaign.”

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said, “The arrest of Antang is a welcome development in the government’s drive against the proliferation of text scams and cybercrime in the country.” Cordoba added, “With systems now in place and the solid cooperation among various government agencies and telcos in fighting text scams and cybercrime, law enforcement efforts should now lead to more arrests.”

GCash chief risk officer, Ingrid Berona, said, “As we make more arrests, we hope that this sends a chilling message to other fraudsters.”

Telcos and government agencies are united in saying that the passage of a SIM Card Law will greatly benefit the public by halting the increase in text scams and other cybercrimes.

All parties have expressed their full support to the SIM Card Registration bills pushed by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, House ICT Chair Toby Tiangco, Senate President Migz Zubiri and Senate Public Service Chair Grace Poe.

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