PNP: Scams up with registered SIMs

[Lee]

Instead of selling their registered SIM card for cash to buy food , I guess people should just boil it up for their next meal. Predictable outcome.

Quote

 

THE Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) headed by its director, BGen. Sidney Hernia, has issued a public awareness alert to educate the citizens on the dangers associated with selling registered SIM cards to fraudsters.

Recent investigations have shown a concerning increase in scams perpetrated through the use of SIM cards illegally obtained from unsuspecting individuals who sell their registered SIM cards.

Scammers are buying these SIM cards to target and exploit individuals who have financial needs. These citizens are unaware of the dangers of personal information breaches, which can be used for criminal purposes including identity theft, financial fraud and telecommunications fraud.

PNP-ACG also emphasized that selling registered SIM cards not only violates ethical standards but also contravenes the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 8484 or the "Access Device Regulation Act of 1998" and Section 6 of RA 10175, otherwise known as the "Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012."

Hernia warned that whether or not the individual is directly involved in any fraudulent activity, the person whose name was registered in a particular SIM card can still be held liable for providing the means for these criminals to commit their offenses."

Last June 14, the PNP-ACG Cybercrime Response Unit arrested a male Taiwanese, his live-in partner and his brother in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The arrest was made through a search warrant issued by Judge Ferllizardo Montero Jr. of Malolos, Bulacan Regional Trial Court. Fully 7,000 pieces of assorted "registered SIM cards" were recovered from the suspects.

The three will face criminal charges for violations of Sections (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g) and Section 14 (f) of the Access Device Act.

PNP-ACG released a set of guidelines for citizens to follow to keep them from being victims of the scam. These include the following:

– Refrain from selling your SIM card.

– Report any suspicious activity related to the sale or purchase of registered SIM cards to the PNP-ACG or local law enforcement authorities.

– Familiarize yourself with the regulations and laws governing the use and sale of SIM cards to ensure compliance and avoid inadvertently participating in illegal activities.

PNP: Scams up with registered SIMs (msn.com)

 

 

[Kingpin]

5 hours ago, Lee said:

THE Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) headed by its director, BGen. Sidney Hernia, has issued a public awareness alert to educate the citizens on the dangers associated with selling registered SIM cards to fraudsters.

I warned you this would happen, General Hernia

 

[Lee]

IMO this was a solution looking for a problem.

The data that was mined from millions of Filipinos that signed up for this mess could be used for fraudulent purposes for years to come.