In a statement, PNP Chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said that during the height of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, which limited the mobility of the people, criminals shifted activities from traditional crimes to online crimes using telecommunication and cyberspace platforms.
The criminals, he added, have devised different modus operandi as they hid behind the comfort of anonymity by using prepaid SIM cards to scam people of their hard-earned money.
“Telecommunication has been revolutionized extensively over the years such that even criminal syndicates and terrorist organizations have taken advantage of technology for criminal and terrorist activities,” he said.
From January to September 2022, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group recorded a total of 4,254 SIM card-related offenses. This does not include yet cases handled by other units of the PNP, other government institutions, reported incidents being handled by the different financial institutions, and cases unreported by victims.
“We are confident that our people will learn to accept the fact that the benefits of mandatory SIM card registration for all mobile phone users outweigh the perceived privacy issues and other concerns regarding confidentiality of communications that are duly protected under Philippine laws,” said Azurin.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. also welcomed the measure, which was signed into law by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday, October 10.
Abalos said it will enable law enforcers to quickly act on complaints and cases involving mobile scams, as they will be able to easily track offenders and resolve misconduct involving telecommunication devices.
“With many Filipinos victimized by text scams and data breaches on a daily basis, the signing of the SIM Card Registration Act is a welcome development in inciting accountability at all levels towards significantly reducing electronic communication-aided criminal acts that are being widely committed in anonymity,” he said.
Under the SIM Registration Act, subscribers are required to present valid identification documents for the registration of their SIM cards before it can be activated. (SunStar Philippines)