Info drive on SIM card law

The seizure last week of more than 7,000 registered subscriber identification module (SIM) cards from a Taiwanese national and two Filipino accomplices during a raid in Bulacan province is rather disturbing. It shows how scammers seem to be always a step ahead of regulators in finding ways to continue their criminal activities. They seem to never run out of schemes to dupe people despite the mandatory registration of SIM cards that will officially take effect next month.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) earlier extended the registration of SIM cards until July 25, or 90 days from the original April 26 deadline, and Secretary Ivan Uy of the DICT noted that as of May 10, around 95 million of the 100 million SIM card owners who are expected to register have already done so. Under the law, failure to register will result in the deactivation of SIMs, which will prevent a subscriber from receiving and sending calls and text messages and accessing mobile applications and digital wallets. This will help law enforcers in identifying and going after criminals stealing people’s money through text scams and other illegal activities done through mobile phones.

However, a report of the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) of the Philippine National Police last week showed that the three individuals arrested in San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan had a total of 7,308 registered SIM cards from different telecommunication companies. Some of those cards were found to have verified accounts on different e-wallet platforms, including GCash, Maya, GrabPay, Coins.ph, and PayPal, as well as accounts on e-banks SeaBank, Maybank, and UnionBank. ACG spokesperson Capt. Michelle Sabino said the police operation stemmed from information they received on the suspects’ activities, which she said had been ongoing since August last year ostensibly in anticipation of the enactment of Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Registration Act. The suspects then sell the SIM cards to scammers who would use them to carry out fraudulent activities. “They buy SIM cards at P400, those that are registered, and verified digital wallets such as (virtual wallet) GCash. It can be used in a lot of scams like investment scams,” Sabino pointed out. The ACG said registered SIM cards were mostly bought from the provinces. In online markets, a registered SIM card may be bought for as low as P350 to as much as P500, which is 10 times the price of an unregistered SIM card sold in legitimate outlets and resellers.

What this incident indicates is that it will take more than the SIM registration law — and the national ID system for that matter — to weed out mobile phone scammers. A massive information drive on the pertinent provisions of the law and an education campaign on how to avoid being victimized need to be undertaken nationwide to protect everyone from cybercriminals. It will need a concerted effort by the national and local governments, telecommunication companies, and consumer advocacy groups to stamp out cybercriminals preying on unsuspecting Filipinos. The focus is to educate or inform the public, particularly in the provinces, because scammers often victimize the gullible who are easy to deceive, or even those desperate for cash. They should instill in the minds of everyone the provision in the SIM registration law that it is illegal to sell one’s SIM card. The fact that any illegal activity using a registered SIM card will be traced by the police to the person who registered that SIM card needs to be conveyed forcefully to the public.

The warning of PNP’s Sabino to the public against selling their registered SIM cards, which is prohibited under RA 11934, is worth emphasizing. “The problem here for those who sold their registered SIM cards is that you are technically selling your identities to be used for fraudulent and criminal activities,” she noted. “Once the cops start doing the money trail for these crimes, it [will] lead to you, you [will] be implicated and we [will] be coming after you. You are liable because those are registered under your name. The police will go after you. It’s like being a money mule,” Sabino explained. Under RA 11934, the sale or transfer of a registered SIM card without complying with the law carries a penalty of imprisonment ranging from six months to six years, and/or a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.

The SIM registration law has enough safeguards that will allow law enforcers to identify scammers. The bigger problem, as shown in the arrest of the suspected suppliers of registered SIM cards to scammers, is the need to educate the people. What good is a law if people do not know its provisions? This will therefore need a sustained effort from the government, telcos, schools, and advocacy groups to immediately launch a massive information and education campaign. Defenses put up through the laws can do only so much. Consumers need to do their part in protecting themselves against mobile phone scammers and be reminded that ignorance of the law will not excuse them from liability.