Scammers working double time as sim registration nears deadline –PNP

The Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) on Monday said scammers were rushing to victimize as many phone users as possible as the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards nears the deadline.

At a press conference, ACG director Police Brigadier General Joel Doria said scammers were aware that it would be easy for authorities to catch them once SIM registration was fully implemented.

“Napapansin natin nagdo-double time din ang mga scammer considering na alam naman natin na doon sa registration natin ngayon is talagang minamadali na,” he said.

(We noticed that the scammers are working double time because they know that sim card registration was being expedited.)

PNP chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. encouraged SIM card sellers to record and register the names of their buyers and check their IDs.

“Para ire-report din nila sa Globe or Smart,” he said.

As of February 5, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy said some 28,000,000 SIM cards have been registered.

Uy said telecommunications companies issued some 150,000,000 SIM cards.

However, there are buyers of prepaid SIM cards, such as scammers, who use SIMs only once and then throw them away.

The IRR of the SIM Card Registration Act took effect on December 27, after the measure was signed into law by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. last October.

The law mandates all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) to establish registration platforms where they will onboard users who present valid identification cards.

Users are given 180 days to register their SIM cards, or else face the risk of having these deactivated.

The deadline for SIM registration is on April 26. — DVM, GMA Integrated News