CICC Urges Caution Against Paid SIM Registration Scams on Social Media

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has issued a warning to the public about the dangers of using paid SIM registration services advertised on social media platforms. CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos highlighted the rise of questionable social media accounts that charge a small fee for SIM registration services. Ramos cautioned that these third-party services could misuse personal information provided during the registration process. He emphasized that the SIM registration procedure is straightforward and does not require the services of a third party, urging people not to fall for these deceptive offers. Ramos advised mobile users to personally register their SIM cards with their service providers, using government-issued ID and a selfie for verification. A specific example mentioned was a social media page named ‘DITO Telecommunity Corporation’ offering such services, which was later disavowed by the actual mobile service provider, DITO. The SIM Registration Act, signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on October 10, 2022, and effective from December 27, 2022, has seen 113,969,014 SIM cards registered out of 168,016,400 in circulation as of July 30, 2023.