Cavite: Operatives of Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) have arrested in Cavite province two unauthorized dealers selling 1,000 registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards online.
According to Philippines News Agency, PNP-ACG Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang announced during a press briefing at Camp Crame that the suspects, identified as 'Kaye,' 23, and 'Roy,' 27, were nabbed in an entrapment operation on Wednesday in Imus town.
During the operation, the ACG confiscated the 1,000 registered SIM cards, which the suspects reportedly purchased for PHP15 each and were selling online for PHP20 each. Yang explained that the SIM cards might be intended for use in text blaster machines, potentially facilitating cybercrimes.
"The illegal sale of registered SIM cards undermines our efforts to trace and prevent cybercrimes. These cards often end up in the hands of scammers and fraudsters," Yang stated. He further noted that the ACG is collaborating with various telecom companies for further investigation.
The suspects are facing charges for violating Section 7 of Republic Act (RA) 11934 (SIM Registration Act of 2022) in relation to Section 6 of RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012).
Yang praised the ACG operatives for the successful operation and urged the public to report similar illegal activities to authorities. "We call on the public to support the enforcement of the SIM Registration Act by refusing to participate in these illegal activities and reporting violators to the nearest ACG office," he added.
