SIM Card Act turns out ineffective; face-to-face verification proposed
Guided by the lessons of the past three years since the landmark law was passed, an extensive review of the 3-year-old SIM Registration Act is in order to see how it can be tweaked, strengthened or more easily implemented. This way, it will be able to fulfill its promise to keep the country a step ahead of fraudsters and minimize the damage to the public.
On October 10, 2022 President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act No. 11934 or the SIM Card Registration Act. The law aims to provide accountability for those using SIM cards and aid law enforcement in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through phones. However, scam attempts continue and many Filipinos still fall victim to phishing scams, for instance, through short messaging services hence the need to be vigilant against perpetrators.
Wily fraudsters continue victimizing unsuspecting Filipinos who were lulled into the false sense of security. Some, for example, were still able to register SIM cards under false names using fake IDs. Others, on the other hand, chose to sell their registered their SIM cards to criminal elements for a handsome fee. These are clear violations of the SIM Registration Act that should therefore not go unpunished. Under this law, those found selling registered SIMs face up to six years in jail and as much as P300,000 in fines.
The National Telecommunications Commission has called for face-to-face verification of identification cards before individuals can register the SIM cards on their mobile phone.
The NTC noted that the current registration process that requires only a photo and submission of some personal information and a copy of a government-issued ID card may be too lax and therefore vulnerable to fraud. Unscrupulous individuals exploit the system to sell their identities to others, it said.
However, telecommunications companies—which are key to the strict implementation of the SIM Registration Act—opposed the idea as they claimed requiring face-to-face verification will just add a layer of bureaucracy that will further delay registration and make it harder for Filipinos in remote and rural areas to comply with the law. It will also cost more, they said.
The Global Anti-Scam Alliance pointed out in an October 2024 report that Filipinos lost as much as $8.1 billion or nearly P640 billion over the past 12 months due to the scams that were mainly launched via text messages that Filipinos receive regularly as they conduct more of their personal and business transactions online. The government and the private sector cannot just play catch-up with scammers. They need to do better in implementing the laws and plugging loopholes in the system to combat cybercrimes.
Reference: Plugging loopholes in SIM card law
