**Manila, Philippines | March 24, 2023** – Since the
announcement of mandatory SIM registration last year, many have
been confused about what is it for and why is it important for
us Filipinos.
Surely, you have read some articles, heard radio commercials,
and even seen TV ads encouraging you to go to your telco’s
website or app and register your SIM. Still, you and your
friends refuse to comply with the government mandate thinking
how something as simple as an unregistered SIM can disrupt our
lives.
In this article, we will tell you why it is relevant and what
will happen if you fail to register your SIM before the
deadline.
Your SIM will get deactivated
Yes, the very SIM you use to text and call your loved ones when
times are tough, the SIM that contains the number you use to
send and receive money, pay bills or make other transactions
through mobile apps will get deactivated. As mobile phones
become more valuable and intertwined with everyday life, so do
SIM cards.
But what does it mean to have your SIM deactivated? This means
you’ll entirely lose your prepaid load balance and receiving
OTPs for e-wallet and bank transactions would be impossible.
Receiving updates from the government on your benefits, loans,
etc. is another problem. You might need to contact each agency
and undergo a long process to update your contact details. Also,
following up and hearing back from your employment application
can be more than tricky. Just imagine applying to your dream job
only to lose your slot because your future employer cannot reach
you.
Having your SIM deactivated means you will become unreachable
not only to your bank but to your contacts list as well.
Colleagues, friends, and family who contact you using that SIM
number won’t be able to do so once that SIM gets deactivated
So no incoming nor outgoing calls. You won’t be able to send or
receive messages either.
Your broadband and prepaid SIM-powered mobile internet will not
work
If you have been using or recently bought prepaid internet, you
might wonder why it’s not working even after powering it up
several times, loading the SIM, and reading and rereading the
manual, even doing a little troubleshooting to make sure you
started it correctly. The answer is this: your new SIM is not
yet activated.
As existing SIMs need to be registered, so do the ones you’re
going to buy. Likewise, existing SIMs used for internet have to
be registered or you risk rendering it useless.
You will have problem accessing your online accounts
Most of us use our contact numbers as login details on our
social media accounts. In any case you logged out of your
account or need to log in to a separate device, it will be
troublesome for you to receive OTPs for two-way verification
authentication.
Yes, you’re sure to come up with a workaround for these.
However, it will require you to go through a long process to
resolve this issue.
You can try contacting the applications’ help center and prove
to them your identity through a series of authentication
documents. You could also try personally going to the offices of
these platforms. Or you can just register your SIM to avoid
these hassles altogether.
Fighting security and data breach
Security and data breach are the top concerns of Filipinos about
SIM registration, especially with the rising incidence of text
and other mobile-related scams.
Interestingly, these – security and data breach -- are the very
same issues the SIM Registration Law wishes to address. It aims
to minimize the risk of users falling victim to scams
perpetrated through calls, texts, and online messages. It hopes
to make device owners more accountable and responsible users of
technology. The law likewise hopes to lessen the occurrence of
crimes and make it easier to track down perpetrators of
cybercrimes and fraud.
#SIMguradoAko, Register now!
When you’re ready to register, simply go to your telco’s
registration website, input your info, upload government ID and
selfie, wait for the SMS confirmation and that’s it! You have
now registered your SIM.
Reaffirming its commitment to be every Filipino’s partner Para
Sa Life, **Home Credit Philippines** is urging everyone to
register their SIM cards to comply with the SIM Registration Act
through the #SIMguradoAko campaign, to help protect Filipinos
against text and other phone-related scams.
Through its *Wais sa Home* initiative, the country’s leading
consumer finance company has been actively campaigning against
cyber fraud such as phishing, pharming, and spoofing to protect
its customers.
In line with its goal of promoting financial literacy and
education, Home Credit aims to raise awareness on the basics of
saving and budgeting and wise financial management. Amid the
widening adoption of e-commerce, it encourages Filipinos to be
digitally wise in investing and using the right money apps and
to protect themselves against online risks and scams.
Home Credit Philippines is a financing company duly licensed and
supervised by the [Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC)](https://www.sec.gov.ph/) and by the[ Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP)](https://www.bsp.gov.ph/SitePages/Default.aspx).
To know more about the latest updates from Home Credit
Philippines, visit its [official
website](https://homecredit.ph). You may also follow its
official [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/homecreditph/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/homecreditph/?hl=en),
and [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@homecreditph) accounts.
Customers are also encouraged to download the [My Home Credit
App](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ph.homecredit.myhomecredit&referrer=utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dpos%26utm_content%3Dpr_article%26utm_campaign%3Dhonor_hc_partnership) on
Google Play to learn more about the latest promos and see what’s
new in the Marketplace.