The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will soon launch “Project: SIM Check Mo” next week as part of the government’s effort to combat cybercrime in the Philippines.
The project will provide every citizen the capability to validate in 10 seconds the partial identity and status of a SIM number of a suspected scammer through a text messaging service via the DICT’s Hotline 1326.
To check a SIM card’s status, just text “SIM CHECK,” space, plus the 11-digit number, and send it to 1326. The sender will then receive the SIM’s status, including whether it is already registered or not, the initials of the SIM owner, and a remark on whether it has a good or derogatory record.
SIM CHECK 0919123456
Send to 1326
“The project needs to be launched ASAP and immediately while we await the expiration of the 90-day extension period for the mandatory SIM registration under Republic Act 11934,” said DICT Executive Director Alexander Ramos of the agency’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.
Also read: SIM registration deadline has been extended for another 90 days
According to Ramos, the three-month extension can be taken advantage of by scammers targeting unsuspecting individuals. He also assures the public that compliance with all data privacy requirements is presently being ironed out with the legal liaison of the National Privacy Commission and the CICC.
Image Credit: Asterfolio (Unsplash)
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