16 text blasters seized in Tarlac

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CAMP OLIVAS, San Fernando, Pampanga — Sixteen text blaster equipment were seized by the joint operatives of the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Tarlac PNP in an entrapment operation conducted along Burgos Street, Barangay Poblacion Norte, Paniqui, Tarlac, on Monday.

A suspect identified only as alias Ray, 28, a resident of Paniqui, Tarlac, was apprehended for selling the prohibited SIM-based text blasters or international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers online.

The suspect is now facing charges for violations of the Philippine Radio Control Law, SIM Registration Act, Data Privacy Act and Cybercrime Prevention Act.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has previously said that the demand is high for text blast machines owing to the forthcoming elections.

SCAMMERS’ DEVICE Brig. Gen. Bernard Young (2nd from right), acting director of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group; Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo (extreme left), regional director of the Police Regional Office 3; Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center Undersecretary Alexander Ramos (extreme right); and Wilson Lejarde of the National Telecommunication Corp.-Region 3 present to the media at Camp Olivas, Pampanga, the 16 text blaster machines confiscated from a 28-year-old suspect who was apprehended during an operation in Paniqui, Tarlac, on March 25, 2025. PHOTO BY FREDERICK SILVERIO

Candidates found to be using text blast machines in their campaign will also be punished.

In a press briefing on Monday at Camp Olivas in San Fernando, Pampanga, Undersecretary Alexander Ramos of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center; Brig. Gen. Bernard Yang, acting director of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group; and Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, regional director of Police Regional Office 3, presented the recovered 16 text blaster equipment to the media.

According to Ramos, the confiscated IMSI catchers are illegally used as text blasting devices, which are often used in scamming activities.

Text blaster equipment are also known as "stingray," rogue cell towers, fake cell towers, cell site simulators or drop boxes that are used to create cell towers that can connect to nearby cell phone units.

Once connected to a mobile phone, it can collect IMSI numbers and track the location and activities of phone users, including text messages, calls and data traffic.

The DICT reminds that IMSI catchers can operate even in public places, tracking and intercepting mobile phone communications.

According to General Yang, each machine costs more than P100,000 and has 32 sims that can penetrate more than 600 mobile numbers.

"It is capable of broadcasting; you can transmit messages simultaneously in the same seconds and can be used in elections. It has the potential to be used by candidates without being detected," said Yang.

General Fajardo said it is possible that the device could be used during the election period. It is now being investigated whether the confiscated text blaster machines came from the two Philippine offshore gaming operator hubs in Tarlac and Porac that were raided last year.

FREDERICK SILVERIO