Criminals find ways to circumvent SIM registration
The move is expected to boost government initiatives against fraud perpetrated through text and online messages, which have become more prevalent in recent years
Daily TribuneThe move is expected to boost government initiatives against fraud perpetrated through text and online messages, which have become more prevalent in recent years
First, it was e-mails of an alleged Nigerian prince looking for ways to "dump" his hidden wealth. Now cybercriminals have invaded our mobile phones to dupe the public into revealing their personal information and cleaning out your bank account.
From convincing mobile phone users to pass on their personal details to steal their accounts, cybercriminals have graduated to sending text messages to inform users their SIMs have been deactivated which are just a ploy to get personal information and hard-earned money.
Anton Bonifacio, Globe's chief information security officer, warned the public against unscrupulous groups and individuals taking advantage of the SIM registration law to scam people. "We have received reports that groups and individuals are taking advantage of the new law by sending misleading text messages to unsuspecting mobile phone users," he said.
Bonifacio added, "We would like to remind our customers to ignore these messages and report them to our Stop Spam website."
He advised Globe and TM users to wait for the formal announcement from Globe once the implementing rules and regulations about the SIM Registration Act are finalized.
Republic Act 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, was signed into law on 10 October 2022, and aims to provide accountability for those using SIM cards and aid law enforcement in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through mobile phones.
The move is expected to boost government initiatives against fraud perpetrated through text and online messages, which have become more prevalent in recent years.
Under the law, users can only activate their new SIMs by registering with their provider. Meanwhile, existing subscribers must register within 180 days of the law's implementation or risk having their SIM deactivated.
Latest data showed that Globe blocked more than 32.2 million scams and spam text messages in just two weeks after implementing measures to stop uniform resource locators in person-to-person text messages.
From 28 September to 13 October, it blocked about 2.4 million SMS with clickable links daily. From January to September 2022, it stopped 1.3 billion spam and scam messages, already exceeding the 2021 full-year total of 1.1 billion.
Globe has spent P1.1 billion on a system that detects and blocks spam and scam SMS. Its 24/7 Security Operations Center filters unwanted messages, including app-to-person and person-to-person SMS of international and domestic sources.
Globe continues to encourage its customers to use Android devices to install spam filters on their phones.
