A team at National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found out a crucial flaw in the current SIM registration process
According to a report from Inquirer.net, Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, the Chief of the NBI Cybercrime Division, disclosed that they made an attempt to register SIM cards from various telecommunications companies using what seemed to be a counterfeit PhilHealth ID featuring a picture of a monkey.
Lotoc asserts that despite the obvious fraudulent nature of the provided document, the system still accepted the SIM registration application under scrutiny. The team also employed different names that apparently had no real existence.
This revelation came to light during a Senate hearing held on Tuesday.
Senator Grace Poe, who leads the Senate Committee on Public Services, expressed her disappointment with the NBI’s findings, remarking that telecom companies appear to prioritize acquiring as many subscribers as possible by simplifying the registration process.
Globe Telecom has acknowledged the potential for fake IDs with animal images being employed for SIM registration.
Ariel Tubayan, Globe’s head of corporate and legal services, mentioned that they have requested access to government ID issuers to validate the IDs used by applicants during the time when the SIM registration law was still being debated in Congress.
Tubayan contends that implementing the law would have been less contentious if the national ID had been fully implemented beforehand.
“Pero unggoy yung nasa picture e?” Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva inquired.
Tubayan responded that they couldn’t view the applicant’s details as it goes directly into the system.
This suggests that there might be no verification or cross-checking occurring at all, except for the selfie validation process, which Tubayan also explained during the hearing.
Nevertheless, when asked if a monkey selfie could also be used, Tubayan replied, “Palagay ko po kung ‘yun ang ginamit nila [NBI].”
In light of this, Globe has stated that they are fully cooperating with the government on the SIM registration law. They have also launched the #StopScam portal, where subscribers can report spam and scam messages.
