Press Release - Gatchalian urges NTC to crack the whip on SIM registration issue amid fraudulent use by cybercriminals

Senator Win Gatchalian urged the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to enforce stricter supervision of telecommunication providers relating to the implementation of the SIM registration law, amid the fraudulent use of SIMs by cybercriminals including those in the industry of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

"We want the NTC to crack the whip if telcos are not following the law and NTC rules. That's the only way we can instill discipline because, for them, a SIM card sold means revenue," the senator said at a Senate hearing on the proposed budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to which the NTC is an attached agency.

A co-author of the SIM Registration Act, Gatchalian emphasized that the NTC should be able to prevent fraudulent registration of SIMs by strictly supervising telcos. He noted that such fraud enables criminal syndicates, including those in the POGO industry, to defraud unsuspecting victims using fraudulently registered SIMs.

"The root of the problem is easy access to SIM cards despite our SIM registration law. There is so much disappointment with its implementation. The NTC should prevent criminals from purchasing thousands of SIM cards and to really implement the true spirit of the law which is to allow legitimate people with good intentions to buy SIM cards. I believe the law is adequate and it is in the implementation of the law where the problem lies," he said.

According to the NTC, the agency has already issued verification guidelines to enable telcos to put up a system that would prevent fraudulent registration of SIM. These guidelines include comparing submitted data with ID information using advanced technology such as facial recognition and facial matching.

However, a simulation by the National Privacy Commission, another DICT attached agency, showed that Smart Communications was the only telco that successfully prevented fraudulent SIM registration.

Gatchalian emphasized that if Smart can prevent fraudulent registration of SIM, then the other telcos should be able to do the same. "Whatever Smart is doing, the other telcos should be able to do also. They should adopt the same