The Philippine National Police-Anti Cybercrime Group advised the public to disregard spam messages, saying these fraudulent text alerts continue to proliferate despite a crackdown by the National Telecommunications Commission and telecommunications firms.
PNP-ACG spokesperson, Lt. Michelle Sabino said the scammers continue with their activities because there are some people who still patronize them.
“Scammers, fraudsters send out messages in bulk, so it’s random. Whoever gets affected or those who respond become a victim,” Sabino said.
She said the only way for them to stop is if their scam is no longer profitable because nobody pays attention to it anymore.
Sabino said one of the best measures to prevent such scams is by registering their SIM cards.
However, there is still no law that mandates the registration of SIM cards in the country.
Sabino said this is the reason why investigators will always face a dead-end because scammers use prepaid cards that are difficult to trace.
“Even if we get the warrant to disclose computer data, magiging dead-end because we wouldn’t have the information and we need the identity of the person bago kami makapag-file ng case sa court,” she said.
Earlier, Sabino said the SIM Card Registration Act will not infringe on the privacy of subscribers and will only serve as an extra layer of protection against illegal activities perpetrated through the use of mobile phones
She added the law will help in unmasking perpetrators of illegal activities such as fraud, text scams, terrorism, obscene messages and disinformation, would outweigh the concerns of those who oppose its implementation.
Sabino said the law will also fast-track their efforts in solving cybercrimes. – PNA