File photo of SIM cards. AFP photo
MANILA, Philippines — Recent efforts by a local telecommunications company have led to the arrest of a suspect found to be illegally selling SIM (subscriber identity module) cards and leads about foreign syndicates potentially behind the text scam surge.
Ayala-led Globe Telecom, in a statement on Friday, said that a resident of Camarin, Caloocan City, named Mark Deo Antang was caught in an entrapment operation by the Globe Security and Cyber Response Unit and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group on Sept. 14.
Antang was arrested for selling 556 pieces of Globe and TM SIM cards linked to verified accounts of GCash, the e-wallet platform of the Ayala Group.
Citing the police, Globe said that the “suspect buys GCash-registered SIM cards online at P350 per piece then sells them for P600.”
“These accounts, which belong to other people, end up being used by scammers to hide their identity or by individuals who want to breach e-wallet limits for online gaming,” it added.