Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy recently warned the public that scammers have “reprogrammed” their approach to text scams, from sending messages to putting up fake SIM registration sites to capture personal information online.
“So the text scams are rising and most of them have redirected or reprogram 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 in the provided bogus link. Then the subscribers are told to re-register their wallet to be able to complete the registration, a step which is totally unnecessary in legitimate SIM registration.
“Do not fall for these scams,” he said.
The government is hoping that SIM card registration will put an end to the avenue of defrauding people through text messages, and the full results of this initiative will only be known once the registration deadline has passed and unregistered SIM cards are deactivated, affecting legitimate users who failed to comply, along with the illegitimate SIM cards that have been and are still being used by scammers while they are still active.
Hopefully the remaining unregistered SIM owners listen to the warning of the DOTr and do not fall for any such scams. Moreover, it also becomes noteworthy that the current strategy being employed by scammers to make use of the limited shelf life of their unregistered SIMs highlights the importance of keeping the data we turn over when registering our SIMs, which must be kept safe by the government which is responsible for it. This treasure trove of personal information that scammers are now targeting will need the best security our taxes can buy.*
