THE law recently enacted to fight the rising tide of financial fraud enabled by electronic devices is the latest target of its target scammers, regulators have warned.
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) is warning the public against the spread of e-mails and text messages containing “fake” instructions and links on how to register their SIM cards and virtual wallets.
In a message sent to reporters through Viber on Sunday, the country’s privacy body addressed the public saying, “Do not provide personal information through these emails and text messages, nor click any links/URLs.”
“The NPC advises subscribers to wait for the official guidelines for SIM registration to be released by the National Telecommunications Commission [NTC], Department of Information and Communications Technology [DICT], and telecommunication companies,” the NPC said on Sunday.
An example of the message being sent to subscribers says, “Hi, you need to register your sim card now or your number will be blocked. Click on this link to register.”
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the SIM Registration Law, crafted by the National Telecommunications Commission in consultation with the telco industry, has gone through public hearing.
It is set to lay down the SIM registration procedure and guidelines that all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) must follow in creating their respective registration platforms.
The IRR is expected to take effect on December 27.
Upon welcoming the issuance of the IRR of the said law, telco operators in the Philippines said two weeks ago that they are now preparing for the law’s full implementation.
Globe Telecom Inc. President Ernest L. Cu said Globe is proud to be part of the technical working group that crafted the IRR, which they hope will pave the way for an “orderly and timely” SIM registration for all SIM users. Cu said Globe will continue its close collaboration with the government to ensure full implementation of the SIM Registration Act.
Meanwhile, Smart SVP and Head of Consumer Business Group-Individual Francis E. Flores said Smart is ready to implement new processes in compliance with the law.
“We are ready to roll out our SIM Registration processes after months of preparations, which have included, among others, studying best global practices and technology solutions from other countries that have already implemented SIM registration. We will release more information about the SIM registration portal via our official channels in the next few weeks,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dito Telecommunity Corp. Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano reiterated Dito’s commitment to be compliant with the new law, which seeks to reduce text scams.
“We support this important initiative of the government to protect the public from phishing and similar types of fraudulent activities. We will do our level best to make the registration process as simple and painless as possible for new Dito subscribers and our 14 million existing customers,” he said. (Full story here: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/12/13/with-irr-telcos-prepping-forsim-registrations-full-rollout/)