Gov't told to invest in tech, experts to fight scammers

The Philippine government should invest in technology and tap cybersecurity experts in its battle against scammers as merely enhancing the SIM registration law is not enough, according to an advisory and research group.

“The government needs to appropriately invest in technology that would allow it to accurately ascertain whether one person’s identity, for instance, matches the identity registered under one’s SIM. Engaging cybersecurity experts from the private sector will help identify possible weaknesses that fraudsters can exploit," Stratbase ADR Institute said in a statement.

It added that criminals who thrive in the online world and enjoy the mantle of anonymity are the result of failure to implement and enforce existing regulations.

"This is why we believe that merely amending the SIM Card Registration Act, specifically by putting a cap on the number of SIMs any individual can own and register, is not enough to stop the nefarious activities of these scammers," Stratbase president Prof. Dindo Manhit said.

He further said that the Senate's proposal to enhance the SIM registration law will not achieve its desired end because it would only ultimately need better enforcement and implementation of the existing law to protect Filipinos from falling prey to the scammers.

"Fraudsters are a threat not only to individuals, all business enterprises, and government institutions. This problem demands solutions that are deliberate and decisive, and this can be achieved by more effective enforcement rather than by adding to the list of items to enforce," Manhit added.

Senator Win Gatchalian earlier said he is considering introducing amendments to the SIM Registration Act, signed into law in October 2022, amid the widespread use of SIM cards for fraud and scamming.

Meanwhile, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had admitted that the SIM Registration Law is not a “silver bullet” against text scams as it continues to face several challenges in its implementation.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/AOL, GMA Integrated News