Telco commits to SIM registration enforcement amid fraud concerns

CEBU, Philippines — Globe Telecom remains fully committed to enforcing the SIM Registration Act, in compliance with Republic Act No. 11934, said Atty. Froilan Castelo, the company’s General Counsel.

Castelo’s statement comes after the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) urged telecommunications companies to tighten enforcement of the law after the discovery of “pre-registered” SIM cards being sold through social media platforms.

In a press statement, Castelo emphasized the need for an official government database that telcos can access to verify the identities of registrants, citing national identification systems such as the Philippine National ID, Social Security System (SSS), and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as potential sources.

“Globe has been diligently implementing the provisions of the SIM Registration Act, ensuring that only valid government-issued IDs are accepted. We have also invested in advanced technologies, including Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for ID verification and facial recognition systems to authenticate registrants,” Castelo said.

“However, without an official database for cross-referencing, it remains impossible to fully confirm whether an identity is fraudulent,” Castelo added.

Since 2023, Globe has actively requested access to a government ID database to enhance the accuracy of its verification process.

In December 2023, the company further strengthened its SIM registration platform by incorporating OCR and data-matching capabilities, along with a mandatory selfie verification step to filter out fraudulent submissions.

Despite these efforts, Castelo acknowledged that criminals continue to exploit loopholes, using stolen identities to register SIM cards, which are then resold to scammers.

The sale and purchase of registered SIM cards are strictly prohibited under the SIM Registration Act. Section 11 of the law imposes severe penalties, including imprisonment ranging from six months to six years and fines between P100,000 and P300,000.

Globe reminds customers to register SIM cards only under their names, except in cases where they are registering on behalf of minor children or dependents.

The company also warns against engaging in third-party SIM registrations in exchange for money, as this could lead to criminal liabilities if the SIMs are used for fraudulent activities.

Globe urges the public to remain vigilant when purchasing SIM cards, advising customers to avoid SIMs with tampered packaging, which may indicate prior use or fraudulent activity.

Customers are encouraged to buy only from legitimate and authorized retailers to ensure security and compliance with the law. — (FREEMAN)