Senator Joel Villanueva has filed a resolution seeking to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the unprecedented number of gambling-related text scams.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 1057, Villanueva said that while the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) reported a decline in text scam complaints during the period of SIM registration, there was a sharp increase of reported text scams in the months following the deadline, reaching a total of 45,697 complaints.
"There is a need for government to review and determine whether the available mechanisms to address text scams are efficient," he said.
He cited the recovery of around 80,000 unregistered SIMs from Xinchuang Network Technology, Inc., a registered Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) based in Las Piñas City by the Philippine National Police - Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG).
The said SIM cards were allegedly used by online crime syndicates for text spam blasts and online love scams. The PNP-ACG also confiscated 10 multi-port Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) modems, which are used for text blasting.
In March 2024, authorities recovered SIM Cards and hundreds of cellular phones and digital devices used in scamming operations during of a warrant in Zun Yuan Technology Inc., a POGO based in Bamban, Tarlac.
Villanueva said that in addition to the use of registered and unregistered SIMs in text scams, scammers are also increasingly using cell-site simulators or stingrays or international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers to spoof or mimic mobile numbers to deceive users into thinking that they are receiving legitimate text messages from legitimate companies.
"These text messages contain fake links that are used to extract information or money from users," he said in the resolution.
He added that from Jan. 21 to May 2024, the NTC has received 36,776 complaints and successfully blocked all reported SIMs. Of this number, 45 percent were call and text scams, 30 percent contained game links, while the remaining 25 percent contained back links and other forms of fraud and harassment.
"In addition to blocking reported SIMs and determining the persons and entities behind these scams, NTC and other government agencies must also look into (i) the mode of acquisition of cellular phone numbers (e.g., unreported data breach); (ii) the alleged sale of personal data; and (iii) the alarming use of illegal equipment to simulate numbers," he said in the resolution.