Innovative solutions mulled to combat text scams

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers are urging concerned agencies and stakeholders to come up with innovative solutions to curb call and text scams.

Sen. Grace Poe has cited the "dramatic increase" in scam calls during the first quarter of 2025 despite presence of SIM Card Registration Act.

"Executed at a massive scale and with high precision, voice phishing or vishing attacks prey on our unsuspecting kababayans that result in identity theft and financial losses," the senator said.

"While not a silver bullet to the scamming menace, the law that we passed can go a long way in fighting cybercrimes."

Poe added that scammers should be tried in court and punished, emphasizing that if no one is held accountable, perpetrators will be emboldened to continue with their illegal activities.

For his part, Sen. Win Gatchalian earlier filed a resolution seeking to conduct an inquiry into the continuous spread of text scams.

He underscored the need to strengthen cybersecurity to combat scammers.

"Given the crucial role of technology in nation-building, it is essential to strengthen cybersecurity and verification measures and implement additional safeguards to combat the continuous proliferation of text scams in the country," Gatchalian said, as he filed Resolution No. 1324, which seeks to conduct an inquiry regarding the issue.

Meanwhile, Camarines Sur Representative LRay Villafuerte urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to review the said law as text scams continue to proliferate.

For its part, Globe Telecommunications Inc. said it remains committed to implementing the law. The telco, however, underscored the need for an official identification system.

Froilan Castelo, Globe Telecom's general counsel, opposed the National Telecommunications Commission’s proposal to require in-person registration for SIM cards.

He argued that this requirement would go against the goal of making connectivity more convenient for Filipinos.