DICT: Scammers adapt to SIM Registration Act

MANILA, Philippines — Scammers have “re-programmed” their approach to text scams, from sending messages to putting up fake SIM registration sites to capture personal information online, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) warned the public yesterday.

At a Palace briefing, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said the scammers provide a fake site where subscribers supposedly can register their SIM cards.

“So the text scams are rising, and most of them have redirected or re-program their approach,” Uy said when asked to comment about the text scams despite the implementation of Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act.

“They are asking people if they have already registered their SIM card and if not, they tell them to click this link and go to their site, which is fake,” the DICT chief said.

Uy said the text scammers would be able to capture subscribers’ data if they key in their information on the provided bogus link.

“Subscribers will receive a text coming from e-wallet provider telling them that if they registered their SIM card they still need to re-register in the e-wallet to be able to activate it,” he said.

Uy said once a SIM card is registered there is no need for the user to have it registered for their e-wallet accounts.

“Do not fall for those scams,” he said.

President Marcos has approved a 90-day extension of the mandatory SIM registration deadline originally set on April 26.

The government, Uy said, hopes subscribers will register their SIM cards to put an end to the avenue of defrauding people through text messages.

He said there would be no more extension to the July 26 deadline for the SIM card registration. – Delon Porcalla