On September 1, Camp Crame in Quezon City was a busy spot as the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group laid out its scorecard for the first seven months of the year. From January to July, the unit carried out over 800 operations, hauling in 766 suspects while rescuing 149 victims. So far, 81 cases have resulted in solid convictions, though online shopping scams remain the talk of the town and a constant headache for everyday shoppers.
Beyond the scams, the black-market trade in pre-registered SIM cards is still going strong. On August 24, law enforcement set up a sting in Obando, Bulacan, nabbing a 26-year-old suspect and seizing around 400 ready-to-use SIM cards. Investigators spotted the suspect openly hawking pre-registered SIMs and verified e-wallets on social media—prime tools for cybercriminals looking to cover their tracks.
With unregistered and traded cards still slipping through the cracks, police are pushing to tighten the rules. They’re proposing a cap of five SIM cards per person, backed by stricter biometric verification and tighter controls on transfers and re-registration. While it might make getting a new line a bit more of a hassle, locals agree it's a small price to pay to stop scammers from turning burner accounts into a revolving door for crime.
