Information and Communication Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy shows the media at a conference on Jan. 22, 2025 at Camp Crame photos of an illegal text-blasting machine seized from an arrested Malaysian national. (Photo by Jason Sigales/INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Text scams have resorted to “guerilla operations” after the deadline to shut down Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), according to Information and Communication Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) went up by 0.22 percent to 7,326.41 while All Shares also rose 0.24 percent to 4,024.72.
The remark came during a joint press conference at Camp Crame on Wednesday, where the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) announced the arrest of a Malaysian national for selling an illegal text-blasting machine online.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Text blast device seized from nabbed Malaysian is a ‘new tech’– CICC
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“Before, these scammers, they used Pogo facilities, so they were in big buildings… They used to occupy huge buildings with a lot of people and then they operate from there,” he explained.
Article continues after this advertisementPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a ban on Pogos during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July and formalized the directive in an executive order last November, giving operators only until Dec. 31, 2024 to close up shop.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Text scams declining as Pogo exit deadline nears – DICT
Article continues after this advertisementAs the deadline for the Pogo shutdown approached, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) told INQUIRER.net that it logged a significant decrease in the number of text scams.
However, at the press conference in Camp Crame on Wednesday, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said the arrested Malaysian national was selling a text blast device, a new mobile technology.
Article continues after this advertisement“This is a cat-and-mouse operation. They will really hide, they will find new technologies and a new modus. They will always be changing. So us in the government, we also have to be very agile. We have to see to it that our people are updated on the latest technology,” Uy said.
house of fun 200 free spins 2022“Before, there were fewer targets because they were big. Now, many small targets. So, we have to deploy more people and more equipment,” he added.
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