NTC partners with Meta, Viber vs text scams

MANILA, Philippines — The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is coordinating with social networking and online messaging platforms such as Meta and Viber to discuss ways to prevent the proliferation of text scams.

In an interview aired on GMA TV’s “Balitanghali,” NTC Deputy Commissioner Jon Paulo Salvahan said agency officials have noted that scammers are now going to other platforms to carry on their illegal activities while continuing to find ways to register subscriber identity module or SIM cards using fake or spurious documents.

NTC officials had met with Meta and Viber officials before the raid of a Philippine offshore gaming operation hub in Porac, Pampanga, where SIM cards allegedly used for online fraud and scams were discovered, according to Salvahan.

“We had already met with representatives from Meta, which handles Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. We also met with Viber (officials). They met with us about a month or two months ago,” Salvahan disclosed.

Scammers will find ways to register or submit fake or fictitious registration documents, as well as transfer their activities to over-the-top platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber, which are currently not covered by the SIM Registration Act, according to the NTC official.

It was also found that scammers could have obtained personal information from users who have registered their names and phone numbers in some stores or establishments.

Considered during the meeting was the sharing of deactivated SIM numbers by telecommunications companies to the over-the-top platforms for the respective deactivation in their applications.

“We are already discussing possible measures to address the scamming and spamming used on their platforms, including possible data sharing. The telcos will share data of their deactivated SIM numbers for over-the-top operators to deactivate them on their platforms,” Salvahan said.

He added that the NTC is looking into calls made to tighten the implementation of the SIM card registration law and that they would cooperate with the Senate to enhance the law, as well as the commission’s regulations.

Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications