The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has urged telecommunications companies to tighten the enforcement of the SIM Registration Act after reports of “pre-registered” SIM cards being sold on social media.
Amid this call, Globe emphasized the need for an official ID database to ensure accurate verification of SIM registrants.
Selling or buying registered SIM cards is illegal under the SIM Registration Act. Offenders may face six months to six years in prison and fines between ₱100,000 and ₱300,000.
“Globe remains committed to the implementation of the SIM Registration Act as mandated by RA 11934,” said Atty. Froilan Castelo, General Counsel of Globe.
He explained that while the company follows strict registration processes, a national database is necessary to verify identities more effectively.
Identity verification
“Currently, Globe has been strictly implementing the provisions of the SIM Registration Act, including accepting only the required identification cards, investing in software to help in reading the text on identification cards and facial recognition to ensure these are real people. However, there is no way for us to determine with 100% certainty if the identity is fake without a database from which we can validate the identity,” Castelo said.
Since 2023, Globe has requested government access to an official ID database to improve verification. The company has also upgraded its SIM registration platform, adding Optical Character Recognition, data-matching features, and a mandatory selfie requirement.
“However, there are still criminals who are able to bypass this by using someone’s identity and then selling these registered SIM cards to scammers,” Castelo said.
Globe reminded customers to register only their own SIM cards and avoid offers to register on behalf of others. It also warned against purchasing SIM cards with tampered packaging, as these may have been previously used and repackaged.