Amid the completion of the country’s imposed SIM registration process, fraudsters are still able to perpetrate their nefarious schemes through the use of illegally procured pre-registered SIM numbers, according to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
The SIM Registration law was implemented to curb the proliferation of SMS-related scams.
Per CICC Usec. Alexander Ramos, there are foreign entities behind the scams, some of which resort to buying SIM cards that were pre-registered by others.
During the “Scam Free Pilipinas” drive, Ramos briefly revealed the scheme, telling how it has become a “twist” to their campaign. Furthermore, he said that the scam boils around money, often disguised as banks.
Ramos is urging the public to report any dubious texts and calls, explaining how negligence could result in others falling into the same trap.
Strong in its commitment to the Filipino public’s welfare from scams, the agency has been in support of other groups that aim to do the same, such as the Scam Free Pilipinas campaigner Who’s Call.
Who’s Call is a scam detection app centered around malicious texts and calls.
Gogolook, the company behind Who’s Call, developed the application in a bid to fight financial scams that have become widespread in Asia, according to its CEO and Co-founder, Jeff Guo.
While the CICC is happy with the help that Who’s Call tries to provide, the agency said a review is still underway, to check whether or not the app complies with established privacy rules.
The CICC is reminding the public to be ever vigilant if they come across texts or calls that appear scummy by making a call to hotline 1326, free of charge.