No scare value to scammers

“Getting missed calls from unknown numbers? Think twice before calling back as it might be the ‘one-ring and cut’ scam. The scam tricks you into calling back International numbers where you unknowingly incur IDD charges.” This is the latest advisory that Smart Communications has been sending to its subscribers through text blast.

But how can we ignore a phone call? Or suspect it might be a scam phone call?

For one, many of us have relatives living abroad. Or it might be the Boss, or a business associate, or even just a friend on a foreign trip calling us up?

Last week, I received a call coming from “unknown” phone numbers: 00 60 15 9314 949. It stopped ringing when I picked up my phone. Not knowing any better, I re-dialed the calling number. After one ring, it stopped and a voice-activated response was heard: “The number you dial could not be reached.”

When I checked my “Recent” calls in the mobile phone log, it showed the long distance call emanated from Malaysia.

So I guess I got scammed. That is, once Smart sends my post-paid monthly billing to show IDD charges due to this “one-ring and cut” scam.

From hacking to phishing, what other frauds can these online scammers can cook up? Supposedly, the newly enacted law on the mandatory registration of Subscriber Identity Module (or SIM for short) will precisely put an end to these nefarious, if not irksome activities of these felonious mobile scammers.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) signed into law the SIM Registration Act, or Republic Act (RA) 11934 on Oct. 10 last year. Briefly, the SIM Registration Act aims to provide accountability for those using SIM cards and to enable law enforcement authorities to quickly track perpetrators of crimes committed through mobile phones.

For a while, there was palpable reduction in my mobile phone of text messages for “need for cash,” or easy terms of loan offers, to sale of condo units etc. Whether these are scams or not, we could only be grateful for this when the SIM Registration Law took effect.

As provided for by RA 11934, mobile device users of both prepaid and postpaid subscribers, must register their SIMs through their respective service providers, or the telecommunications companies (telcos). All existing SIM subscribers are required to submit an accomplished form through a database platform or website provided by the telcos within 180 days.

The registration started on Dec. 27, 2022. However, the largest telcos, namely, Smart Telecommunications Inc. and Globe Telecom, have reported sluggish, snail-paced registration by their respective subscribers. The third telco, Dito Telecommunity likewise is meeting the same lackadaisical compliance of its subscribers. Notably, the bulk of them are those with pre-paid SIMs.

As of latest records of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that is supervising the SIM Registration Law, a total of 168,977,773 active SIMs both post-paid and pre-paid have been issued by the three telcos as of September last year. By telcos, arranged from the highest to the lowest total active SIMs issued were as follow: 87,873,936 by Globe; 67,995,734 by Smart; and, 13,108,103 by Dito.

As of Feb.25 this year, the Smart Telecom posted the highest compliance at 18,736,867 SIMs registered, or equivalent to 27.56 percent. Globe Telcom has so far registered 15,272,753 SIMs, or 17.38 percent. And Dito, todate has registered 2,799,065 SIMs, or 21.35 percent.

Two months to go before the deadline, only 21.78 percent of all mobile numbers have been registered nationwide under the SIM Law. Considering under the same law, mobile phone numbers that will remain unregistered after six months will be deactivated.

Obviously, this is because the same law provides that the SIM registration period may be extended by another 120 days. That is, if the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) determines if there might be a need to extend the SIM registration.

If this pace is sustained, it would not be surprising if the SIM registration period may likely be extended after the deadline on April 26.

Offhand, one of the problems earlier encountered was on the difficulties of telcos to reach their subscribers living in far-flung parts of the country where connectivity is a challenge.

Such is no wonder why the criminal activities of phone scammers are back in full steam again. Just last Monday night, I received a phone text from unknown numbers:+63 910-672-3647: “Your UnionBank account has been locked due to a recent update. To unlock your account, please visit the link: http://ii1.nl/oV02Thg

Naturally, I disregarded this obvious text scam. So I forwarded this to concerned authorities. My worse fear arose when I got the same text message the next morning from different mobile numbers: +63-910-672-3647 and same links. It led me to suspect, does this scammer an “insider” at the bank that he or she seems to be persistent?

At the height of terrorism attacks, efforts to enforce a mandatory SIM registration were futile due to the stiff resistance of opposition groups, not to mention human rights advocates. Many of those who vehemently objected to this mandatory SIM registration invoked invasion of the individual’s privacy, among other reasons.

It was first passed into law during the 18th Congress but got vetoed by outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. Citing legal and constitutional grounds, the former President vetoed in particular the “rider” provisions that included the registration also of Facebook and other social media accounts. So when the 19th Congress took over, they removed the “vetoed” provisions that paved the enactment of the new SIM Registration Law.

Methinks, the SIM Registration Law needs more teeth that could not only scare these scammers but could really send them to jail. Or, there ought to be a special law for these online pests.

Apparently, text scammers have more scare value than terrorists.

However, it would seem the SIM deactivation warning has no more scare value to these scammers.