MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested a male Chinese national in General Trias, Cavite, for allegedly operating a rogue cellular site supposedly being used to transmit fraudulent text messages and direct mobile users to a fake banking website.
NBI director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday that the bureau’s Special Action Unit (SAU) conducted an operation following an intelligence report it received on foreign nationals allegedly operating an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher in parts of southern Metro Manila.
The IMSI catcher can supposedly mimic legitimate cellular towers and interact with nearby mobile phones.
It was allegedly mounted inside a vehicle and moved through densely populated areas.
“Ang may possession nito ay isang foreign national, isang foreigner na umiikot, nakasakay sa sasakyan na ginagamit ito dun sa phishing, sa mga scams,” Matibag explained in an ambush interview.
(We tracked it down and confiscated it from a foreign national. This foreigner was driving around in a vehicle, using the device for phishing and scams.)
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The messages deceitfully claimed it came from a legitimate source and directed recipients to a website designed to resemble that of a prominent Philippine bank.
“Kumokopya na parang signal siya ng tower kung saan pumapasok yung mga cellphone, yung signal ng cellphone, na maaaring gamitin ito para kuning mga information, kunin yung data ng credit card ninyo, na ginagamit ito pang scam,” Matibag noted.
(It mimics a cell tower signal that cell phones connect to, which can be used to gather information and steal your credit card data for scamming purposes.)
The agents arrested the suspect inside his residence after conducting physical surveillance and technical monitoring.
A separate rogue cellular site was also found at the location, the NBI said.
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The suspect is facing violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, as well as the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.
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The NBI emphasized that the case goes beyond financial fraud, noting that the unauthorized use of telecommunications equipment could pose a national security concern by allowing criminal groups to exploit communications infrastructure and reach large numbers of mobile users. — RENDELL IVAN MANUEL, INQUIRER.NET TRAINEE
