An advocacy group championing consumer rights cautioned the government against amending the SIM Card Registration Law, saying the proposal to limit SIM ownership would mean nothing if law enforcement remains weak and incapable of going after fraudsters.
“The impact of regulating the number of SIMs one can register will just be an inconvenience to fraudster,” said CitizenWatch convenor Orlando Oxales. “It is so easy to bypass such restrictions because there are many ways scammers can gain other ‘unique’ identities.”
Oxales said that such fraudsters do not usually act on their own but are usually part of a group of organized cybercriminals who resort to identity theft and other sophisticated tactics to pursue their aim.
“What we really need is an enforcement system that goes after scammers, not more laws to burden consumers with,” he said.
A senator has proposed the amendment of the SIM law so that an individual can have a maximum of 10 SIMs, saying having 10 is more than enough for various purposes and transactions.
A desire to have more than this number would merit a separate registration process, with telecommunication companies determining if the applicant really needs more SIMs.
The proposal also considers making the possession of numerous unregistered SIMs a criminal act.
Oxales said the proposed amendment will unduly burden legitimate consumers like businesses that need to deploy multiple sims for internal communications and online transactions that are essential for operations.
He said more focus should be on engaging cybersecurity experts and invest in strengthening the government’s enforcement capacity to fight the relentless attacks of perpetrators of scams, disinformation, and other cybercrime activities.
“To significantly enhance deterrence, we propose to increase both the imprisonment terms and fines for these fraudsters and organized cybercriminals such as removing the current option of choosing between imprisonment or a fine,” Oxales said.
“The actions of online fraudsters pose a real threat to consumers, businesses, and the government, with the potential for harm that is tantamount to economic sabotage,” he added.
The current penalties of the SIM Card Registration Law for fraudulent activities include imprisonment of 6 months to 2 years and fines ranging from P100,000 to P300,000 for providing false information or using fictitious identification. Similarly, spoofing a registered SIM and selling stolen SIMs carry penalties of 6 months to 2 years imprisonment and/or fines of P200,000. Additionally, selling or transferring a registered SIM without proper registration compliance leads to similar penalties, including imprisonment of up to 6 years and fines up to P300,000.
Oxales suggested that a database for ID verification should be established to accurately cross-check the identity of applicants for SIM registration will be helpful for telcos and can even be used for any instance when verification of one’s identity is required.
