Public warned vs. SIM registration scam

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has warned the public against social media accounts offering SIM registration services for a minimal fee.

In a statement on Wednesday, CICC expressed alarm over a social media account named “DITO Telecommunity” that entices the public to avail of its service, which is available for all networks.

The fake account said those interested may send them a message.

“DITO Telecommunity Corporation, however, has disowned the social media account and claimed that it has not authorized the practice,” CICC said.

“We're the strictest among the three on SIM registration,” DITO replied to queries from CICC.

CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos reminded the public that SIM card users are required to personally register with their respective networks, present a government-issued ID, and take a selfie.

“The SIM registration process is not that complicated and there is no need to hire a third party to do it for you. Do not be deceived by those offering to register your SIM,’ Ramos said.

He added that these dubious social media accounts may use the information they gathered for other purposes, such as phishing scams.

The SIM Registration Law was enacted in October 2022 and took effect on December 27, 2022, where all new SIM cards will be deactivated and subscribers would have to abide by the process of the telcos to have their SIM cards registered and activated.

As of July 2023, CICC noted that 113,969,014 SIMs were registered out of the 168,016,400 in circulation.—LDF, GMA Integrated News