MANILA - A day before the law on mandatory SIM card registration takes effect, Senator Grace Poe called on the government and telecommunication companies to ensure that the registration process will be convenient.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee made the call, to avert any public inconvenience or confusion experienced by the people in the past.

“The SIM registration should be as easy as texting or sending a message,” said Poe.

There should also be a help desk for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant as well as those with poor internet connectivity in their area, the senator said.

"Telcos should have portals for registration that are user-friendly and secure to encourage mobile users to enlist without hassle and interruption of services," Poe said.

The SIM Card Registration Act, which was designed to curb scams victimizing people through text and online messages, was signed into law last October and will formally take effect Tuesday – December 27.

As dictated by the said law, SIM card holders, including those using eSIMs, must register within 180 days from the effectivity of the law.

The registration period will be extended for 120 days.

SIMs that are not registered within that given period will be deactivated, and can only be reactivated if they are registered 5 days after deactivation.

Postpaid subscribers meantime must confirm their information and data in the SIM register through the telcos' platform, she said.

Those who will provide false information can either be fined or imprisoned as stated in RA 11934.

GCASH SCAM?

But notwithstanding the upcoming full implementation of the SIM Card Registration Act, scammers are apparently its strength as shown by the authorities’ uncovering of a so-called “GCash scam.”

According to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the scam's target victims receive a message that their transactions “have been restricted."

The message also tells the target that to regain access GCash services, he/she needs to click a link in that email, thereby compromising their online security, Gatchalian said.

“Identity theft is precisely one of the online schemes that we want to prevent relative to the enactment of the SIM registration law. The process for the disclosure of personal information is a rigid one that necessitates a court order,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said SIM users need to make sure that they register only through a secure platform or website provided by their respective service providers.

The process of registration requires the following information including full name, date of birth, gender, address, and valid government ID or similar documents with a photo, while business users must provide their business name, business address, and the full name of an authorized signatory.

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