The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found a loophole in the SIM card registration process of major telecommunications companies.
How? It successfully registered a SIM card using a fake PhilHealth ID with a photo of a smiling monkey.
This revelation was brought to light to during a senate committee hearing on September 5, 2023. The experiment was led by Chief Attorney Jeremy Lotoc of the NBI's Cybercrime Division.
“We entered the face of an animal in different names natanggap pa rin,” Lotoc said, adding how easy it is to create government IDs with online templates.
This test was part of a larger investigation into text scams in the country, proving that anyone could still register SIM cards under fraudulent identities.
Even with the SIM Registration Act in full effect, cybercrimes using SIM cards went up by 190% with 4,104 cases from January to June 2023 compared to the 1,415 during the same period in 2022, according to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group.
Read: Registration ng SIM cards, batas na: Alamin ang implementasyon nito
"We cannot allow horses, monkeys, and gorillas" on the SIM registration
Senator Grace Poe called the incident an "insult" to the SIM Registration Act's implementation.
“Alam ko kasi yung telco, gusto talagang nila marami talaga sila subscribers so they will make it as easy as possible,” Poe said.
“All of us here are playing catch-up with technology so the blame is not all lodged in one particular group. But, of course, we have to keep updating and it’s frustrating. It’s adding insult to injury kung nakita mong nakangiti yung monkey.”
Globe Telecom’s Head of Policy Ariel Tubayan confessed to the oversight.
He suggested that the national ID system could help in verifying IDs, to which Senator Joel Villanueva replied: “Pero unggoy yung nasa picture, e?”
Tubuyan said telecoms do not see the registrant’s information as it goes directly to the system.
Senator Win Gatchalian also called out the whole fiasco: “There should be some form of post-validation if it’s not automatic... We cannot allow horses, monkeys, and gorillas to be registered.”
In light of the findings, there are now calls for stricter regulations and penalties for selling registered SIM cards.
As chairman of the Senate committee on public services, Poe stressed the need for technological updates, such as facial recognition in the amendment of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the SIM Registration Act.
Also read: Can SIM Registration End Text Scams? Most Filipinos Think So