PASAY CITY -- To clamp down operations in the country of global cyber criminals, Senator Win Gatchalian urged authorities to work hand in hand with organizations and institutions that address international cybersecurity.

Gatchalian made the call following the National Privacy Commission’s (NPC) recent revelations that the onslaught of spam text messages offering nonexistent jobs is a handiwork of global crime syndicates.

“Authorities should leave no stone unturned in unmasking the culprits behind these smishing activities and to at least put a stop to the latest scam trend they have employed which has already victimized a number of unsuspecting mobile subscribers,” he said.

Gatchalian urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cybercrime division and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group to coordinate with international cybersecurity agencies in tracking down cyber criminals.   

The senator revealed that he has been at the receiving end as well of the text spams or scam text messages offering nonexistent jobs almost on a daily basis for several weeks now.

Gatchalian also urged both the NPC and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to look into the revelations of tech expert Art Samaniego who, in an interview with DZMM, said that a Chinese website appeared to be among the sources of the text spams.

“Ang impormasyong ibinahagi ay baka makatulong kung paano natin masawata ang mga gawaing ito na batay sa inisyal na imbestigasyon ng NPC ay kagagawan ng mga global crime syndicates,” he said.

Gatchalian said some of his staff members who received text spam engaged the text senders and they noticed that the senders could not communicate in Filipino.  

Gatchalian’s Senate Bill No. 176 or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act seeks the mandatory registration of all users of SIM cards to better track fraudsters because they use prepaid SIM cards as a tool to carry out their illicit activities.

“Dapat tignan din ng NPC itong bagay na ito kung paano dapat bantayan ang mga kumukuha ng mga personal information natin,” Gatchalian said. (OSWG)