100,000 unregistered sims seized in Las Piñas POGO hub raid

Over 100,000 unregistered sim cards were confiscated by the PNP Cybercrime Group during the June 2023 raid on an alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Las Piñas, Emil Sumangil reported Friday on 24 Oras.

The sim cards were allegedly being used by online crime syndicates for several online scams, such as text spam blasts and online love scams.

Also confiscated were 10 multi-port GSM Modems, which are machines used for text-blasting or sending bulk messages to different recipients in one click.

“This is being operated like a call center,” National Telecommunications Security Council representative Ronnie Del Prado said.

“Mere possession of this is a violation. Ang dapat lang meron nito is mga TELCO,” PNP Anti Cybercrime Group Spokesperson Police Captain Michelle Sabino added.

The National Telecommunications Security Council was studying how to implement more strategies that stopped the spread of cybercrime in the country.

Meanwhile, authorities said two minors, a Malaysian and an Indonesian, were also rescued during the POGO hub raid.

The PNP-ACG also said that several Filipinos nabbed in the Las Piñas POGO hub, but were subsequently released, were re-arrested in a recent raid on a Cavite scam-hub. — Jiselle Casucian /DVM, GMA Integrated News