MANILA — Law enforcement agencies have arrested a Malaysian accused of involvement in text scams, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said Tuesday.  

It said the suspect, identified as Thiang Choon Wee, “is believed to be the head of a syndicate that has been supplying IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) catchers used in text scams.”

An IMSI catcher is an electronic device that tracks and intercepts mobile phone communications. It is also referred to as “stingray”, rogue cell tower, fake cell tower, cell site simulator or drop boxes.

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It works by mimicking an official cell tower and convincing nearby phones that the IMSI catcher should connect them. Once connected, this allows it to collect their IMSI number which enables it to track location and activity as well as intercept text messages, calls, and data traffic of target phones, the CICC said.

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The agency said it started monitoring the company of the IMSI supplier in October 2024.

“Hindi papayag ang gobyernong ito lalong lalo na ang sambayanang Pilipino na paglaruan tayo ng mga dayuhang scammer. Lalabanan natin ito,” CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos said. 

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More details to follow.