THE Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) on Tuesday told senators that six syndicates are behind the smishing and text scams victimizing millions of mobile phone users.

The CICC made the revelation during the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

The CICC, an attached agency of the DICT, said it will provide more information in an executive session.

Sen. Mary Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, agreed to the holding of an executive session.

“Lumalala na ang scams, wala pa ring naririnig ang publiko sa mga imbestigasyon [(Text) Scams are getting worse, and yet the public) has heard nothing from the investigation,” she said.

Poe also asked the DICT about concerns on the StaySafe application (app) which many had suspected to be “the source of the leak” of personal information of mobile subscribers that ended up with some casinos.

The Staysafe app was the contact tracing app used by several local government units as well as business establishments at the start of the pandemic.

The app requires the user to input his/her name, mobile number and home address, as well as health data including one’s temperature upon entering the establishment.

The senator earlier announced that her committee will open a separate hearing on resolutions involving unabated text scams duping many Filipinos.

The Senate on Monday approved on second reading the bill mandating the registration of subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards to thwart online scams and even terrorist activities.

Poe sponsored Senate Bill (SB) 1310 or the proposed “SIM Registration Act.”

It aims to curb mobile phone and electronic communication-aided crimes — from text scams to terrorist activities — by requiring mobile phone users to present valid government identification (ID) and documents in registering their SIMs.

The proposed law includes the mandatory registration of newer types of SIMs, such as eSIM (electronic SIM).

Under the bill, minors who own mobile phones should register their SIMs using their parents’ or guardians’ names.