Zero in on scammers, says watchdog

A local citizens' rights network is urging state actors to prioritize apprehending criminals behind the rampant text scams plaguing the country, rather than revising the SIM card registration law.

According to CitizenWatch Philippines, despite the implementation of Republic Act 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, text scams continue to proliferate, causing significant financial losses to Filipinos.

The Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) reported that Filipinos have lost an estimated P460 billion to scammers in the past year, with each individual losing an average of P16,000. GASA noted that 85 percent of these scams are executed via text messages.

CitizenWatch Philippines reminded consumers to be cautious as scams become more prevalent and sophisticated and also called on policymakers, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the SIM Registration Act to prevent these incidents.

While lawmakers are considering revising the SIM registration law to address the issue, stakeholders like CitizenWatch believe that state actors should focus on enhancing their capabilities to apprehend criminals.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported a 21.8 percent increase in cybercrimes in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, despite the implementation of the SIM registration.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, on the other hand, urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to treat cyber security as a national concern, emphasizing the need for state actors to be vigilant against such vulnerabilities.