MANILA, Philippines – A Korean cybercrime syndicate tagged in the hacking of one of the country’s telecom networks fell to the Philippine National Police recently, authorities reported on Tuesday.
The group, which allegedly hacked into the International Gateway Facilities (IGF) of Globe Telecom, is being charged with violation of the Access Devices Law for rerouting international calls as mere local calls.
It was only a week ago when the CIDG nabbed a Korean national for being involved in the same crime, this time involving Smart Communications.
The illegal activity, known as International Simple Resale (ISR), involves completing international long distance calls using lines that connect directly to the domestic exchange facilities of local telecom networks.
As a result, telecom networks lose potential IDD revenues because the international calls are treated as local calls, which significantly reduce the bill charged to users.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Anti-Transnational and Cyber Crime Division (AFCCD) Chief Police Senior Superintendent Gibert Sosa added that ISR activities also rob the government of potential revenues from these transactions.
The suspects were nabbed in four separate raids in Metro Manila, the CIDG said, including residential units in Ortigas, Roxas Boulevard, Malate, and Mandaluyong City.
The raids resulted in the arrest of nine Korean nationals and their six Filipino cohorts.
The suspects reportedly used GSM hardware in their illegal operations, which allow them to route the calls through a computer to be processed by a software capable of doing ISR.
“ATCCD operatives have also confiscated numerous computers, network hubs, GSM modems, and two vehicles—a black Hyundai Tucson and silver Toyota Camry—where numerous bundles of unused sim cards of Globe and Touch Mobile were seized,” the CIDG added.
CIDG Chief Police Director Samuel D Pagdilao Jr. meanwhile harped on the need for a tougher law to deal with challenges such as ISR and other cybercrimes, which he described as a “crime that develops faster than the law that will prevent it.”
Last year, the local police went as far as deeming the Philippines a “cyber mafia haven” for not having the proper legislative structure that would allow authorities to go after these cybercrime groups.
The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which is meant to augment the provisions of the E-Commerce Act of 2001, has already been passed by Congress and is only waiting to be signed into law by the President.
source: interaksyon.com
