00:00Arrested is a Malaysian national who is the leader of the Sangkot syndicate in the sale of the so-called fake cell towers that are used in the smuggling of tech scams.
00:11This is Rod Lagusan of PTV in Balitang Pambansa.
00:16Arrested is a Malaysian national who is the supplier of the International Mobile Subscriber Identity or IMSI Catcher
00:23in the joint operation of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Bureau of Immigration, and National Telecommunications Commission.
00:34According to the CICC, the suspect, who is considered to be a big fish, is believed to be the leader of the syndicate that supplies the IMSI Catcher, which is used in tech scams.
00:45The IMSI Catcher is an electronic device that can track and intercept mobile phone communications.
00:51It is usually called a fake cell tower or rogue cell tower.
00:55It can imitate a cell tower and can connect to nearby cell phones.
01:00The CICC also added that the Malaysian government is responsible for arresting the suspect.
01:05Until the last minute, we don't know his real identity.
01:09We only have a transaction that was ongoing.
01:13So what happens, in one of the trials, he appeared with a machine, but we cannot ascertain his true identity.
01:23There were additional negotiations.
01:28Last night, we tested him.
01:30We are seeing a lot of traffic near where he is.
01:35Finally, we have him cornered.
01:40According to the CICC, last October, they were able to monitor the back of the supplier of the IMSI Catcher.
01:46Usually, the radius of the IMSI Catcher is about 500 meters to 1 kilometer.
01:54You would think that it is a legitimate link that is sent by Telcos or banks or wallets like GCash or Maya.
02:03With the indication that there is an IMSI Catcher in the area, the signal is weakened.
02:07Just like the signal drop from LTE or 5G to 2G.
02:11And this is where the text messages come in.
02:14What we always say is to report to 1326.
02:17Because your report becomes actionable intelligence.
02:22That's why we apprehend it here.
02:25That's also what happened to Pogo because of the public's cooperation.
02:30We call on the Telcos to block all links.
02:38Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections in the CICC continues to use this to spread misinformation during the election period.
02:47Ultimately, our goal here is two things.
02:50First, the safety and orderliness of our election.
02:53Second, about what they are doing.
02:55We know that there are politicians and candidates behind this.
02:58We will catch them. We will sue them.
03:01We will disqualify them if we can catch them.
03:04The Malaysian National is facing several cases,
03:07such as the violation of the SIM Registration Act and Data Privacy Act.
03:11From PTV Manila, Rod Laguzad, for Balitang Pambansa.
