Despite the introduction of a law mandating people to register their SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) cards, cybercrime perpetrated using a SIM card increased by 190 percent from January to June, totaling 4,104 incidents compared to 1,415 in 2022.

According to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG), the majority of cases this year were financial crimes and online frauds employing digital and online wallets such as GCash (3,587), Maya (49), and Coins. ph (four).

PNP-ACG Director Brig. Gen. Sidney Hernia confirmed the rise in cybercrime at a press conference on Monday at Camp Crame in Quezon City, noting that many of these contained "click the link" scams that target mobile wallets and online banking clients.

Hernia stated that they have enlisted the help of partners and mobile wallet providers to launch widespread information and awareness campaigns about such scams.

While citing the need to improve his unit's investigative capabilities and obtain more advanced equipment, he also emphasized the need for extra people to manage the growing number of cases.

Meanwhile, over 100 million mobile phone users have completed the registration process for their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards ahead of the extended deadline, according to recent data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).