Manila: The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Thursday warned the public to ignore calls from individuals threatening to suspend their SIM card registration for having been used in illegal activities.

In an advisory, CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos said there have been numerous complaints of a caller who would introduce herself as an employee of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and has used the name “Nikki Garcia” in one case.

During the conversation, the fake DICT employee would inform the victim that their SIM card has been recommended for suspension for being used in illegal recruitment, online casinos, or human trafficking.

‘Please be alert at all times and do not be deceived by people who pretend to be from DICT or any other government agency,’ Ramos said.

He called on those who encounter such a scam or other suspicious calls and messages to report them to the Inter Agency Response Center Hotline 1326.

‘By reporting to authorities, y
ou are also helping other people by preventing them from becoming future victims,’ he said.

Source: Philippines News agency