What if gagamitin mo ang ID at information ng EX mo para sa simcard registration, tapos gamitin mo ang simcard para mang-scam para makaganti ka sa ex mo na manloloko, tapos makukulong siya.
Hindi sa binibigyan kita ng idea pero my point is - this Simcard registration process is very smooth and easy but there is no doubt that all of us can be vulnerable victims of identity theft since the sim card registration has no identity verification process except by just sending your ID card by uploading to the network portal, that can be easily stolen digitally.
The sim card registration has a clear intention, but why I don't have faith in this, is because...
I, MYSELF, am an existing victim of identity theft.
Years before, Sun Cellular was bought by Smart Communications, Inc. and PLDT Home. In August 2022, I went ahead to Smart office to supposedly avail a postpaid plan with a phone bundle, I signed up there and when I was about to pay using my credit card, the representative told me that I can't sign up with them because I have an existing unpaid account with five phones under my name, birthday and ID.
I was shocked, extremely shocked, because how come I have an existing unpaid account if this will be my first time to use a postpaid sim. I can't move... It feels different when you're personally experiencing such predicament. Yung para kang nanakawan ng katauhan. Yung nasa harap ka, pero ang tingin nila sayo isa kang krimenal na tumatakbo sa iyong kinuhang five phones na ni-isa wala kang idea paano nangyari.
"Sir, ito yung time na ang Sun cellular ay nagbebenta ng family package at limang phone ang kinuha mo at di mo binayaran. Bayaran mo muna ito para ka maka avail sa gusto mong plan sa Smart, baka blacklist ka both sa Smart and PLDT". sabi ng representative, habang ako ay nanlulumo kasi nakatingin sa akin ang mga nakasunod sa akin sa pila.
"Paano nangyari yun, first time ko pa lang kukuha ng plan ngayon, and I can prove it kasi I have my ID, credit cards, i can show you my proof of identity, proof of billing and proof of capacity ". yan naman ang sagot ko.
" sir, pasensya na, di pwede may utang ka pa".
From then, I doubt that it was an internal job of the employee from Suncell that time, kasi ang bilis pekein ang Proof of Identity, but not the proof of billing and capacity. I asked and wrote a request for an investigation internally sa company nila but until now, wala pa ding action. Two weeks akong na anxiety, at na praning, palagi ko tinatanong sarili ko, who else got my ID card - yung mga nanghihingi ng soft copy ng ID ko via email when applying for loans, credit card, banks, online account, company ko, frens ko, at umabot ako sa point na lahat diko na pinagkakatiwalaan. What if ginamit Identity ko at umutang ng malaking pera, so magkaka utang ako ng wala sa oras.
Until now, wala pa din resolution ang Smart at walang assistance ako na nakukuha, kahit follow up ako ng follow up. I gave up because Globe and other networks are still an option pero ang mental struggle ko at trust issue arises and you can't blame me for having doubt and losing faith on this SIM card registration process - prone to the Thieves.
BTW, I had traveled to Bali, Indonesia and before you can get an active SiM, you have to be physically present at the registration process when buying the sim, and the registration process have rigid verification.
The Philippines sim card registration act has a good intentions and I adore it. But this intention to minimize the scam and protect the simcard users gave also a chance to the thieves new opportunity to steal someone's identity dahil sa napakaluwag na proseso ( OTP is useless if someone will buy a new sim card and pretend that it is you who bought it). This is supposed to be as strict as getting an NBI clearance because your Identity is at stake.
I can be a VICTIM, YOU CAN BE A VICTIM.
