THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said the SIM Card Registration Act has not been effective in curbing cybercrime and urged Congress to give the law more teeth.
“The implementation of our SIM Card Registration Act has not been effective, new provisions are needed,” said MGen. Wilson Asueta, director of the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group.
In a briefing in Camp Crame, Asueta said almost all cybercrimes are rooted in SIM cards and loopholes in the law enable online criminals to get through the registration process.
Intensified identity authentication
Asueta said measures intensifying identity authentication are key to preventing and pinpointing online criminals from committing acts of swindling.
The ACG chief suggested that only the national ID should be used in the registration process along with biometrics for full identity authentication.
He also proposed not allowing the transfer of registered SIMs without proper documentation including cancellation before replacement.
“We also need to limit SIM card ownership to at least five per person across public telecommunication entities. Not an excessive amount. We also need to monitor the distribution and redistribution of SIM cards. They shouldn’t just be scattered around for you to buy in the market or anywhere else,” he said in Filipino.
The PNP has coordinated with telephone companies as well as the National Telecommunications Commission and other agencies like the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center for the implementation of the one-ID registration system.
Asueta warned the public not to sell registered SIMs as the owner could be subject to investigation once the number was used for online crimes.
A recent example of the ACG’s intensified campaign against cybercrimes was the arrest of a 26-year-old suspect who was caught promoting and selling over 400 registered SIMs at P10, P15, P20, P50 depending on the volume of orders and repeated use of the SIM.
The suspect is now facing charges for violation of RA 11934.
