IT has been nearly two years since Republic Act Number 11934, also known as the SIM Card Law, was implemented in the Philippines. The goal is to curb the number of scams by requiring SIM card registration.
However, many Filipinos are still falling victim to scams through text messages and messaging apps.
“There is a technology used in scamming that has long since evolved. For example, many text scams, which we may not notice, have evolved to use platforms such as iMessenger for Apple users and Android Messenger for Android users. These are called OTT Applications,” said Usec. Jeffrey Dy.
“Also, there are applications known as IMSI-catchers or fake BTS that can send broadcast messages to your phones without using SIM cards,” he added.
Because of this, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffrey Dy admitted that there are still weaknesses in implementing the SIM card registration.
“For example, there are still many exemptions. For instance, foreigners in transit in the Philippines for less than 10 days are allowed not to register their SIM cards,” said Dy.
Thus, the DICT continues to collaborate with other government agencies to combat the increasing number of scams and other forms of cybercrime in the Philippines.
“We have seen many cases where the NBI and PNP, alongside the CICC, have caught numerous scammers. Hundreds of thousands of SIM cards used in scams have been seized,” said Dy.
“The good thing about this is the audit mechanism. The DICT has mandated an audit of telcos after one year of implementation. We are recommending that an audit be conducted,” he added.
“Actually, the NTC has now ordered the telcos to submit their reports on their registration databases. We will then verify these against our database of registered identities, using national IDs, driver’s licenses, or other submitted documents,” he also added.
DICT calls on other government agencies to combat cyber hacking
Meanwhile, regarding the issue of hacking in government agencies, the DICT is calling for their collaboration.
“We are also calling on other government agencies to take this matter seriously. You know, cybersecurity favors the attackers as it is cheaper to attack but more expensive to defend. The only way to beat cybercriminals is to make cyberattacks more costly, and we can only do that if we work together,” Dy concluded.
