In a significant crackdown on the illegal sale of registered SIM cards, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) arrested 38 individuals in January 2025. The arrests were made during 31 entrapment operations conducted throughout the month, as announced by PNP-ACG Acting Director Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang. Among those detained was a minor, who has been placed under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for appropriate intervention. The operations also led to the seizure of 7,900 registered SIM cards, 19 of which were connected to e-wallets and bank accounts. The suspects face charges under the SIM Registration Act and the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, both linked to the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Yang emphasized the importance of the public avoiding the purchase of registered SIM cards and ensuring their own SIMs are properly registered.
In addition to the SIM card crackdown, the PNP-ACG also apprehended six individuals involved in online sexual abuse during separate operations from January 25 to 30. One notable case involved a 33-year-old man, ‘Dan’, arrested in Manila for sharing explicit content of a 16-year-old female victim. He faces charges under the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Another arrest involved ‘Bern’, a 28-year-old from Calabanga, Camarines Sur, who was detained for posting defamatory statements and explicit photos of his ex-fiancée on social media, along with threats to release intimate videos. He will be charged with computer-related identity theft, grave coercion, and violations of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act, all in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act. The final case saw ‘John’ and three accomplices arrested in Basista, Pangasinan for sextortion, targeting a 19-year-old female college student. The suspects demanded payments to prevent the distribution of her nude photos, and they will face charges of robbery with grave threat, grave coercion, and robbery with intimidation of persons under the Revised Penal Code, in connection with the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Yang reiterated the PNP-ACG’s commitment to combating digital exploitation and ensuring that perpetrators face severe legal consequences.