The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Thursday, Sept. 26, urged the public to disregard calls from individuals threatening to suspend their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registration.
CICC, an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), issued an advisory urging the public to “ignore threats” of SIM suspension from fake DICT employees.
“We once again appeal to the public to ignore calls from suspicious or anonymous callers,” CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos said.
“Please remain alert at all times and do not be deceived by people pretending to be from DICT or any other government agency,” he added.
Ramos stated that his office has received complaints about an anonymous caller introducing herself as an employee of the DICT, using the name “Nikki Garcia” in one instance.
CICC noted that during these conversations, the fake DICT employee or anonymous caller would inform the victim that their SIM has been recommended for suspension due to various violations.
These “suspicious calls,” CICC reported, have been linked to messages promoting unlawful activities, including illegal recruitment for overseas work, online gambling, and human trafficking.
Mandatory SIM registration
CICC explained that SIM registration has been made mandatory under Republic Act No. 11934, enacted on Oct. 10, 2022, and took effect on Dec. 27, 2022.
As of July 30, 2023, the final day after the five-day grace period, CICC noted that the number of registered SIMs reached 113,969,014 out of a total of 168,016,400 SIM cards in circulation.
Report
To prevent cybercrime, Ramos reiterated his appeal for the public to report cybercrime incidents to the Inter-Agency Response Center Hotline 1326.
“By reporting to authorities, you are helping others by preventing them from becoming future victims,” he added.