Despite registering their SIM cards, many users in Dagupan City reportedly continue to receive scam and spam messages.

Bong Aguado said he has changed his SIM card three times. Since registering his SIM card, he noticed an increase in unknown callers and text messages.

“May tumawag, nanghihingi raw ako ng pera kasi may nangyari raw na ganoon. Hanggang sa totally inalis ko na ang sim card na ‘yun,” Aguado said.

Len, another resident, said she receives messages frequently offering jobs she never applied for and links to prize claims for contests she never entered.

“Ino-offer[-an] ka nila ng trabaho tapos maganda [kunware] ang feedback para ma-engganyo,” Len said.

According to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in Region 1, there have been 46 complaints related to scam and spam texts from January to May 16, 2024.

“Ang sa amin naman, wala tayong enough na data to say na dahil ‘yan sa sim registration, kasi dati marami na rin naman — [at] pabugso-bugso ang dating ng spam and scam messages, dati noong wala pa ang sim registration,” Atty. Ana Minelle Maningding, Legal Officer of NTC-1, said.

To avoid becoming a victim of scam texts and spam messages, the NTC advised the public to remember the acronym BIRD: Block, Ignore, Report, and Delete.

The NTC said if the message is from an unknown number and there's no existing transaction, it's best not to engage. They also encouraged visiting the NTC website to file complaints.