Gov't urged to intensify efforts vs scammers

The government should intensify its efforts on catching scammers rather than amending the SIM registration law, a consumer advocacy group said.

CitizenWatch Philippines said that while the public should remain vigilant against fraudsters, the government should strengthen its fight against the criminals behind the scams.

It said text scams are still rampant even with the passage of Republic Act 11934, or the SIM Registration Act.

"CitizenWatch Philippines reminds consumers to remain vigilant as the incidents rise and as malicious actors continue to implement various modus operandi,” the group said in a statement.

“We also call on our policymakers, law enforcement, and other key stakeholders to ensure the proper implementation of the SIM Registration Act to prevent these incidents," it added.

In another statement, it said what is needed is an enforcement system that goes after scammers, not more laws to burden consumers with.

The focus should be on engaging cybersecurity experts and investing in strengthening the government’s enforcement capacity to fight the relentless attacks of perpetrators of scams, disinformation, and other cybercrime activities.

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) admitted that the SIM Registration Law is not a “silver bullet” against text scams as it continues to face several challenges in its implementation.—Joahna Lei Casilao/AOL, GMA Integrated News