‘Monkey’ ID Photo Used For Sim Card Registration

‘Monkey’ ID Photo Used For Sim Card Registration

Philippine legislators faced embarrassment when an ID card featuring a picture of a “monkey” was employed to bypass new SIM card registration regulations aimed at curbing widespread text messaging scams.

In compliance with a law signed by President Ferdinand Marcos in October 2022, individuals purchasing a new SIM card are required to furnish a photo and other personal particulars.

This rule also extends to tens of millions of existing users, who risked disconnection if they failed to register by the July 25 deadline.

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Contrary to expectations of reducing spam and scam text messages, the telecom regulator informed a Senate hearing this week that there had been a “sharp increase” instead.

To illustrate how easily one could circumvent telecom providers’ automated verification systems, a video showing a police officer using an ID card featuring a grinning “monkey” photo to successfully activate various SIM cards was presented to frustrated senators.

Senator Joel Villanueva pointed out, “You have a terrible system if you can see a monkey and yet you approve” the application during the hearing on Tuesday.

Senator Grace Poe, one of the key authors of the SIM card law, expressed disappointment over how text scams persistently deceive unsuspecting mobile phone users, offering fake job offers, lottery winnings, loans, and even “fake love at times.”

Ella Lopez, the head of the National Telecommunications Commission, disclosed that there were over 118 million registered post-paid and pre-paid SIM cards in the Philippines. She noted a temporary decline in complaints filed by duped mobile users to the regulator after the July deadline.

However, since then, there has been a “sharp increase,” with over 45,000 reports lodged, she stated.

In the Philippines, citizens are permitted to use one of several government-issued ID cards without biometric data when purchasing a SIM card.

Jeremy Lotoc, the head of the cybercrime division at the National Bureau of Investigation, informed senators that fraudsters, including online gaming operators, were purchasing inexpensive SIM cards from unofficial vendors for 40 pesos (71 cents) each. Nevertheless, apprehending them proved challenging.

“The issue is, once you use the SIM (for a crime) and get your objective, it is discarded. So it is very difficult to find it,” Lotoc explained.