MANILA - Local mobile wallet service provider GCash has expressed support for the government's crackdown against the loan and sale of mobile wallet accounts commonly used by cybercriminals.

In a statement on Thursday, GCash chief risk officer Ingrid Rose Ann Berona said scammers and other cybercriminals use mobile wallet or e-wallet accounts that are registered under different persons by buying SIM (subscriber identity module) cards sold in the black market.

"Given the increasing incidents of online fraud, GCash is ready to support measures to penalize the lending and selling of e-wallet accounts including calls to criminalize the activity in order to prevent scammers from using this modus," Berona said.

To help combat the use of e-wallets in cybercrimes, GCash is boosting its campaign against fraudsters through information drives with its users.

"GCash is renewing its call for users to #GCheckMuna to avoid being victimized by scammers," she said.

The campaign aims to teach users to spot fake websites, emails, texts, or calls; be aware of various types of scams; avoid account takeover or phishing, and stay away from fake online sellers.

Other security measures implemented by the company include "real-time risk monitoring," barring and blacklisting fraudulent transactions and accounts, and partnering with the Philippine National Police (PNP) - Anti-Cybercrime Group for the apprehension of fraudsters.

On Wednesday, two individuals who claimed to be a governor and a board member of Siquijor province were arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group after attempting to extort PHP50,000 from Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Following the incident, Zubiri vowed to push for the passage of the SIM Card Registration Bill that would require the registration of SIM cards with individuals.

Last April, former president Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the bill due to the inclusion of social media providers in the registration requirement that was not part of the bill's original version. (PNA)