BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - The National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) reminds telecommunications companies to make sure that all  Subscriber Identity Module  or SIM cards in circulation that  were not registered  must be de-activated  so that  these will not be used  to scam people.

 Under the SIM Registration Law, all SIM that are not registered after the  deadline (April 26, 2023  but was extended to July 25, 2023) would have been deactivated  by the concerned  telcos  already,   Atty. Lilibeth Cosi of NTC – Cordillera explained   during a recent media forum  promoting  Consumer Welfare Month.

 “Under the Sim Registration Law, after the deadline, those not registered should be de-activated, hindi na siya nagagamit,” Cosi stressed. 

For new or SIMs that are for sale, it should  be on de-activated mode and can only be used after registration.

“Ngayon kapag bumili ka ng SIM after the deadline, parang patay yan (de-activated), parang ATM, you have to register it, in order to activate it. Yan po iyung law na kailangan nating i-implement”, Cosi said.

She  iterated that  the  purpose ng SIM Registration Law is to safeguard consumers  against  to safeguard consumers against scams and other forms of online  and mobile shady  practices.

 As of September 24, 2023, there are a total of 120,294,062 registered SIM based on the TELCOs report, Cosi shared .

Cosi advises the public to report text scams or scammers that are using mobile phones  so that the user can be identified and proper case can be filed.

In the same forum, Department of Trade and Industry – Cordillera (DTI – CAR) Regional Director Juliet Lucas and Philippine National Police Regional Anti – Cybercrime Unit Head PCOL Ma. Theresa Pucay  urged  the public to be responsible consumers and  to be always cautious in transacting online.

 Lucas shared that three out of four complaints that they are receiving these days are related to online transactions  while Pucay  affirmed the increasing trend in cybercrimes.

The DTI with the regional Consumer Network member agencies lead the October celebration of Consumer Welfare Month, which for this year adopts the theme, “GenS: Generation Sustainability.

 This year’s CWM highlights the rise of more sustainability – oriented consumers and the importance of responsible consumption and the adoption of sustainable lifestyles to harness genuine and sustained change. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)