Buying pre-registered SIM cards against the law, DICT warns

The Department of Information and Communications Technology has warned against buying pre-registered SIM cards being offered online.

According to Mariz Umali's report on "24 Oras", at 100 pre-registered SIM cards were seized from a Chinese and a Filipino.

The SIMs have been registered under the names of other people but were being sold to Filipinos and Chinese in the country.

"You will be liable for falsification dahil nagpanggap kayo ng isang tao na hindi naman kayo yun so that carries concomitant criminal penalty under the Revised Penal Code," DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said.

"If that SIM card is used for criminal activity then you will be liable for violation of either the cybercrime law or the e-commerce law that carries with it also the respective penalties as a cybercrime," he added.

The pre-registered SIM cards are being sold to users who do not want ther SIMs deactivated under the SIM Card Registration Law.

The DICT has extended the deadline of the registration to July 26.

"May intention silang ayaw ma-identify kung sino sila," Uy said.

"Maybe they want to use it to harass people to call using that number or yung mga scammers," he added. —Sundy Locus/NB, GMA Integrated News