Illegal seller of SIM cards with verified e-wallet accounts arrested in QC

MANILA - The Philippine National Police-Anti Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) on Wednesday arrested an online seller of SIM cards with verified e-wallets in Cubao, Quezon City.

According to ACG public information officer Lt. Col. Jay Guillermo, the male suspect was caught with 556 Globe SIM cards with registered and verified e-wallet accounts.

The 34-year old suspect, who is a resident of Caloocan City, was arrested in Barangay Socorro as he about to deliver orders to a poseur buyer.

"Itong nahuli natin, binebenta niya ng P300 ang isang SIM card. Ang mga SIM card ay kinukuha ng mga nag-o-online gaming, kasi ang transakyon dito, kailangan ilipat sa e-wallet ang pera at need ng maraming SIM card kasi may maximum ng P50,000 ang padala sa isang SIM," Guillermo said.

Authorities are investigating the identities used in the e-wallet registration, as they note that this requires valid IDs.

"Ang ipinagtataka namin, kaya ba ng tao na magbenta ng impormasyon niya? So ang tingin namin, lahat 'yan ay fake IDs ang ginagamit," Guillermo said.

The official warned though that a person whose identity was used in scams might get dragged into legal issues.

"Pag napatunayan namin na voluntarily binebenta yung inyong information, pwede po namin kayong kasuhan. Huwag po kayong magbenta ng impormasyon at gumawa ng impormasyon na iligal", he said.

The suspect is facing charges for violation of section 4(a)(5) of RA 10175 or the Misuse of Devices; and Section 9(b) and Section 9(f) of RA 8484 in relation to Section 6 of RA 10175.

ABS-CBN News requested comment from Globe Telecom, but has yet to receive any as of posting time.