Senator Poe Warns Against Longer SIM Registration Period as Scammers Remain a Threat

As the Philippines approaches the deadline for the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, Senator Grace Poe has issued a warning that scammers should not be given more opportunities to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals.

According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), around 45.8 million or 27.12 percent of the 169 million SIM cards in the country are in use nationwide. The SIM Registration Act, which Poe authored, requires all existing subscribers to enlist their mobile numbers with their service network.

Poe noted that while there has been a reduction in spam messages, scammers are still finding ways to deceive people through text messages. The senator has urged the DICT and telecommunications companies to do their part and pull out all the stops to ensure that the public registers their SIM numbers before the April 26, 2023 deadline.

Poe emphasized that any extension to the registration period should not provide scammers with more opportunities to carry out their illegal activities. Instead, the extension should be used to further strengthen the campaign to register SIM cards and to ensure that legitimate subscribers are not disrupted.

The SIM registration process is critical to tracking down digital fraud and making wrongdoers accountable. Once all SIM cards have been registered, the government will have an easier time tracking down scammers and other individuals engaged in illegal activities.

Poe’s call to clamp down on mobile phone scammers is crucial in the fight against fraud and other criminal activities. Scammers are a persistent threat to public safety and have caused untold damage to unsuspecting individuals. Longer SIM registration periods must not be seen as an opportunity for scammers to continue their illegal activities.

The public must also do their part in combating scammers by being vigilant and reporting suspicious text messages to authorities. The SIM registration process is an important step towards protecting the public from the harmful effects of digital fraud.