NTC urged to deal strongly with text scam syndicates

The Cebu City Council has urged officials of the National Telecommunications Commission to put a stop to text scams victimizing mobile phone users.

Councilor Edgardo Labella, who sponsored the resolution that was approved by the Council, questions why the problem continues to hound cell phone users when NTC officials have long identified such illegal activity carried out by text scam syndicates.

It is observed too that despite NTC warnings issued to the public, there are still those who are willing to give in to the demands of these text scams syndicates – believing that, in exchange, they would be able to collect the promised winnings.

It is the modus operandi of these syndicates to use the short messaging service informing cell phone users that “they had just won a prize” such as a huge amount of cash or a car from a raffle.

The recipient is then instructed to contact a certain individual on how to claim the prize with a punch line that reads – “failure on the part of the cellphone user to do so would entail forfeiture of his/her right to claim the prize.”

Afraid of losing his/her chance, the unsuspecting victim would usually respond by giving in to the demand of the supposed contact person and would shell out the amount required to be able to claim the prize. In most instances, text scam syndicates pretend that the activities are sponsored by government agencies, like the Department of Trade and Industry, or by the NTC itself.

Labella called on NTC officials that aside from merely advising the public to be vigilant and not to fall prey to these text scams, they should do more by cracking down the perpetrators of these rampant illegal activities.

It is observed that it may be difficult to establish the identities of those behind text scams because of the weak procedures employed by cell phone networks themselves, as in the selling of Subscriber Identity Module cards without first getting the true names of the buyers.

“Kinahanglan nga ang baligyaan unta sa mga SIM sa cellphones kuhaan g’yod og documents nga mag-ila sa tinuod niyang pagkatawo aron nga kun gamiton ang numero sa binuang, dali ra nga mahibaw-an,” cellphone user Igmedio Dacalos told The FREEMAN. — Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV