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NBI arrests foreigner for 'selling pre-registered SIM cards'

Philippines | National

NBI arrests foreigner for 'selling pre-registered SIM cards'

By Jeffrey Damicog

A foreigner has been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Tondo, Manila for allegedly selling pre-registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards to “scammers.”

The arrested foreigner, whose name was not disclosed by the NBI which said he is a Chinese national, was apprehended by the bureau’s International Operations Division (NBI-IOD) during an entrapment operation last March 30.

The NBI, in a statement, said that recovered and seized from the suspect were 49 pieces of pre-registered Smart SIM cards and one mobile phone “used for the illegal transactions.”

It said that “investigation revealed that the SIM cards were being sold to clandestine POGOs (Philippine offshore gaming operators), individuals, and syndicates engaged in various online scamming activities.”

It added that the suspect “was utilizing the encrypted messaging platform Telegram to market pre-registered SIM cards.”

The arrested foreigner was charged with violations of Section 7 of Republic Act (RA) No. 11934, the SIM Card Registration Act, in relation to Section 6 of RA No. 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

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