MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is stepping up operations against the “guerrilla-style” sale of illegal text blasters, particularly devices allegedly coming from defunct Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the equipment previously used in large-scale scam hubs is now reportedly being sold individually through social media platforms and online marketplaces.

“While we have seen a decline in centralized scam hubs since the 2024 POGO ban, we are now facing a guerrilla-style distribution. These devices are being pulled out from closed firms and sold individually to smaller criminal elements,” Nartatez said in a statement.

“We cannot allow these to proliferate and our police units were already tasked to intensify intelligence-monitoring and strategic operations against all those involved,” he added.

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) recently arrested three individuals in separate entrapment operations in Parañaque City and Cavite for allegedly selling GSM-based text blasters online.

Authorities said two suspects in Parañaque allegedly sold three 32-port units valued at PHP40,000 each, while another suspect in Cavite was caught selling two 32-slot 4G text-blast devices worth PHP20,000 each.

Police said some of the suspects were former POGO workers who allegedly kept the equipment after offshore gaming firms ceased operations and later sold the devices online.

“The danger of these text blasters lies in their ability to bypass traditional network security. Unlike internet-based scams, these devices act as portable cell sites, forcing nearby phones to receive unsolicited and often malicious messages,” Nartatez said.

He added that the devices continue to be used in large-scale smishing and phishing schemes.

Nartatez said he has directed the PNP-ACG to strengthen cyber patrols and surveillance operations targeting online marketplaces to prevent the spread of the illegal devices.

“We are working in lockstep with the National Telecommunications Commission to enforce a zero-tolerance policy on e-commerce sites. Our PNP-ACG conducts 24/7 cyber patrolling to identify these listings,” he said.