Stop online scams, NBI urged
The group said online criminals are expected to go all out before the Subscriber Identity Module or SIM Card Registration Law is fully implemented next year
Daily TribuneThe group said online criminals are expected to go all out before the Subscriber Identity Module or SIM Card Registration Law is fully implemented next year
Members of a consumer group on Monday asked the National Bureau of Investigation to go after online syndicates behind scams targeting many Filipinos, including those working abroad.
In a letter to NBI Director Medardo de Lemos, the Action for Consumerism and Transparency for National Building expressed alarm over media reports about the rising incidents of fraud.
The group's leader Jake Silo said the syndicates can be expected to ratchet up their criminal activities as many workers get paid their 13th-month bonus.
Hackers prowling on social media platforms like Facebook had also been making a killing from duping the friends of those whose accounts they have taken over.
"There will be plenty of money going around this December. This is the perfect storm for foreign and local syndicates to pull off the perfect heist," the group said in their letter.
The group said online criminals are expected to go all out before the Subscriber Identity Module or SIM Card Registration Law is fully implemented next year.
The law would require all SIM cards in use by smartphones, whether prepaid or postpaid, to be registered.
"It is a now or never situation for them and this is why we see the recent rise in unabated SMS scams," the group stressed.