DICT seizing China-made text blast machines used during elections

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Monday that it is running after text blaster machines used during the election period that are now being sold at a low price.

DICT Undersecretary Alex Ramos explained in an Unang Balita interview that the text blast machines are typically connected to a computer or laptop and send random text messages to a series of numbers.

“Natural kapag may sumagot, automatic captured nila ‘yun. Bubugbugin nila ng messages ‘yun. Pero kapag hindi nagre-responde, hindi naman nila sinasagutan,” he said.

(Naturally, when someone responds to their message, they automatically capture it. They will blast messages to that user. But if people don't respond, they won’t send messages.)

Ramos said authorities were able to confiscate plenty of these text blast machines that were made in China.

“Kung maalala ninyo, nauso ito during campaign period. Ngayon, ito’y parang napakamura na. Nakabili kami ng napakamurang text blaster na made in China. Ang dami ho naming nahuling ganito,” he added.

(If you remember, it was popular during the campaign period. Now it is very cheap. We bought a very cheap text blaster made in China. We seized a lot of these machines.)

Even after the July 25 deadline for the mandatory SIM registration, Ramos said that the DICT is still looking at other methodologies, particularly computer-based transmissions, used by syndicates for text scams.

The SIM Registration Act seeks to end crimes using the platform, including text and online scams, by regulating the sale and use of SIMs through mandating registration to end-users.—Giselle Ombay/AOL, GMA Integrated News