THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) reiterated that the the mandatory subscriber identity module (SIM) registration is free, following reports of unscrupulous individuals asking for a fee in exchange for assistance.
Anyone caught doing this will be punished, NTC said. Aside from the law specifically indicating that the registration should be free, bad actors may also use personal data obtained in the process for fraud and identity theft, it added.
PLDT and Smart FVP and Head of Group Corporate Communications Cathy Yang said they have encountered a new scam where SIM users are being charged for registration.
“They are charging a fee, if you need help with SIM registration, bayad ng fee. Libre po ang pag-register, at libre din po ang tulong na ibibigay ng Smart sa Smart Stores, booths at touch points. So just be assured that everything is free. Ito ang kauna-unahang scam na na-encounter namin,” she said during a briefing at the NTC headquarters.
The NTC said 8.31 percent or 14,050,125 SIMs of all active SIMs have been registered as of Jan. 4, 2023.
However, the impact of the SIM registration in reducing SMS-related scams or smishing may only be assessed after the registration process is over in April, NTC officer-in-charge Commissioner Ella Lopez said.
For now, there are still smishing complaints being lodged with the regulator, she said.
“So far po of course meron pa rin kaming natatangap na complaints kasi po, active pa naman po ang mga hindi nagre-register na scammer. They have until April 25, 2023 to register,” Lopez said.
“Malalaman po natin ang effect after SIM registration, magkaroon ng assessment ang lahat ng relevant government agencies and law enforcement agencies. Ang goal lang namin po is matangal namin sila [scammers] ng isang kamay para ‘di sila makapagloko ng mga tao,” she added. (ABS-CBN News)
