SIM cards have been used in at least 190 percent more cybercrimes this year than they were last year.
From January to June, police records showed that SIM cards were used in 4,104 crimes in the country. This is more than the 1,415 crimes that were reported during the same time last year, which is a rise of about 190.03 percent.
About 3,587 of the cases have to do with wallet apps, and 445 of the cases are bank scams.
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The rest of the crimes had to do with online payments, fake cryptocurrency, text scams, and fake news.
Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia of the Anti-Cybercrime Group said at a press meeting of the Philippine National Police at Camp Crame that cybercrimes are on the rise in more than just the Philippines.
“This is a worldwide trend, and cybercrimes are really getting worse,” he said in Filipino, adding that almost everyone uses the internet.
To deal with the rise in cybercrimes, police have stepped up their operations and investigations. This has led to a 294 percent increase in the number of cases that have been closed.
The cops said that 3,901 cybercrimes were solved this year. This is a 294.04% increase from last year, when only 990 cases were solved.
The police have also done more to educate the public about cybercrimes like financial fraud and online scams. They have also given their cyber cops the help and training they need.
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