Manila: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday cautioned the public against online scams carried out by individuals using mobile phone eavesdropping devices known as cell site simulators or International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers.
According to Philippines News Agency, NBI Director Melvin Matibag made this warning after members of the NBI-Special Action Force recently arrested a Chinese national found in possession of the device. 'We were able to track the individual and eventually caught him while in possession of the device, which he was using for phishing or other online scams,' Matibag said in a media interview.
He said the person will be charged with unauthorized possession of telecommunications equipment, cybercrime offense provisions, and financial fraud. 'We are reporting this because we want to warn the public not to immediately rely on suspicious text messages, especially when the sender's number is unknown,' the NBI chief said.
The devices exploit a target mobile phone by transmitting a signal stronger than a service provider's mobile tower. A mobile phone receives signals indistinguishable from an authentic cell service provider's tower, and the device can retrieve data that a normal cell tower receives.
