Helpless against 'junk SIM cards'?

Constant harassment

According toAccording to Government Decree 49/2017/ND-CP dated April 24, 2017, on administrative penalties in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, information technology, and radio frequencies, eachphone SIMWhen registering (signing a contract), it is mandatory to provide personal identification information, including: full name; date of birth; nationality; number, date of issue, issuing authority or place of issue of the identification document; permanent residence address (for Vietnamese citizens). Specifically, a photograph of the person signing the contract in person, including the standard form and general terms and conditions (for mobile telecommunications services), is required; a digitized subscriber information confirmation or a subscriber information confirmation with an electronic signature (for prepaid mobile telecommunications services)...

Specifically, from March 31, 2023, SIM cards with inaccurate information (not registered in the owner's name) will be deactivated; and by September 10, 2023, some network operators have stipulated that small retailers are not allowed to sell SIM cards, and people who want to buy a SIM card must go to authorized transaction points to purchase and register it...

Despite strict regulations aimed at preventing the proliferation of "junk SIMs," and the provision of hotline numbers for customers to report such SIMs, "junk SIMs" continue to operate rampantly, causing significant inconvenience to mobile service users.

Ms. Nguyen Thu, residing in Vinh City, reported: Recently, her phone has been constantly receiving harassing text messages and sales advertisements from phone numbers such as: +84857638748; +84942586651; +84914479564... These numbers send messages continuously, regardless of the time of day, which is very annoying...

It's not just Ms. Thu; many others have reported being harassed by text messages from unknown numbers, all with the same content like "offering escort services"... accompanied by links to Facebook, Zalo, or Telegram. Simply clicking on these links can lead to lost internet access or unauthorized access to their Facebook or other personal accounts.

Many people even complain that they haven't provided their phone numbers to any individual or organization, yet they are constantly receiving harassing text messages and calls from unknown numbers. Many individuals use disposable SIM cards to impersonate police officers, law enforcement agencies, network operators, insurance company employees, postal workers, telecommunications bureau officials, etc., demanding information for investigations or debt payments.

In reality, despite regulations prohibiting small shops and dealers from selling SIM cards, the buying and selling of SIM cards remains rampant. Especially on social media and online trading platforms, simply typing "buy SIM" will bring up numerous shops selling SIM cards and phone numbers. These range from ordinary SIM cards to premium numbers. Many accounts even promise to register and activate the SIM card for customers...

In particular, despite regulations requiring the use of genuine personal identification documents to register for mobile phone subscriptions, and even requiring the recording or photographing of the individual's face for registration, many people still use fake documents to activate "junk SIMs." Specifically, after obtaining fake identification documents, these individuals will register to buy SIM cards and use facial editing software like Deepfake to bypass the network providers' regulations on recording or photographing faces during subscription registration.

In Nghe An province, in July 2023, the Criminal Police Department (Nghe An Provincial Police) arrested two individuals, Nguyen The Tuan (born in 1989) and Vo Trong Huy (born in 1988), both residing in Ha Tinh province, for the crime of "Forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations; using forged seals or documents of agencies and organizations." Initially, the police determined that from May to July 2023, Tuan and Huy used forged identity cards to open bank accounts..., and then sold them to other individuals. This case shows that forging personal documents is no longer difficult for criminals. Once forged documents are used for malicious purposes, they can cause unpredictable consequences.

Decisive action is needed.

Ms. Nguyen Nu Lan Oanh, Inspector of the Department of Information and Communications of Nghe An province, stated: Following the Prime Minister's directive on thoroughly addressing the issue of pre-registered SIM cards with pre-activated subscriber information and services on the market, and strictly managing mobile telecommunications subscriber information, the Ministry of Information and Communications has issued a plan and directed the Department of Information and Communications to conduct inspections of compliance with laws on subscriber information management for branches of telecommunications enterprises, telecommunications service providers, and organizations/individuals registering a large number of SIM cards.

In Nghe An province, an inspection team was established and conducted inspections at 33 service points of four telecommunications service providers in the area, including: Nghe An Telecommunications (VNPT), the Military Telecommunications Group Branch (Viettel), Mobifone Nghe An province (Mobifone), and Vietnamobile Joint Stock Company (Vietnamobile).

The inspection revealed that two service providers had access equipment but could not access the centralized data; some subscribers had incorrect subscriber information stored in the system; and one unit (Vietnamobile) had pre-registered SIM cards with pre-activated mobile services circulating in the market.

"Immediately afterwards, the Inspection Team imposed an administrative penalty on Vietnamobile Telecommunications Joint Stock Company for the act of 'Selling and circulating on the market SIM cards that have been pre-registered with subscriber information and pre-activated with mobile services, but have not yet completed or finalized the contract according to the standard form and general terms and conditions of transaction' as stipulated in point b, clause 7, article 33 of Decree 15/2020/ND-CP, with a fine of 30 million VND," added Ms. Nguyen Nu Lan Oanh.

Ms. Le Thai Ha, Deputy Director of the Business Center - VNPT Nghe An, the unit managing Vinaphone in Nghe An, stated: "Since March, network operators, especially VNPT, have committed to working with the Government and the Ministry of Information and Communications to standardize subscriber information. All subscribers whose data does not match the national population data will have their accounts blocked, and we will proceed with the process to allow customers to complete their information profiles. Subscribers with mismatched data were blocked by April 30th and May 15th. We also commit to not having pre-activated SIM cards on our sales channels. Through self-monitoring, if we discover any sales channels violating this, they will be fined from 10 million VND to dismissal. Specifically, from September 10th, the Ministry of Information and Communications also required all external channels (retail stores) to stop activating subscriber information; only VNPT's transaction points are allowed to perform this activation."

It is clear that requiring accurate personal information (full name, ID card/citizen identification card number, date and place of issue, etc.) when registering and activating a mobile phone SIM card is a completely appropriate policy. This will help ensure the synchronous connection of mobile subscriber information with the National Population Database, facilitating the use of telecommunication services for citizens in case of SIM card loss or damage, while also protecting citizens' rights when using services on the national public service portal or non-telecommunications services such as banking and insurance services.

However, many individuals still use "junk SIMs" for malicious purposes, affecting social order. Therefore, to thoroughly prevent this problem, some suggest that people should not provide their personal phone numbers to any individual, organization, or application they do not know or trust. Telecommunications users also need to strictly comply with laws on subscriber information management. They should proactively go to telecommunications service points to register their own subscriber information, and avoid buying pre-registered and activated SIMs to prevent legal risks associated with using SIMs that are not registered under their name.

In addition, strict action should be taken against service providers who use software and information technology applications to falsify information, alter identity card numbers or citizen identification numbers on photos of personal documents, and then enter into contracts using pre-printed templates (such as selling pre-activated SIM cards).

At the same time, it is also necessary to clarify the responsibility of mobile service providers for allowing the proliferation of "junk SIMs." After all, "junk SIMs" rely on the network providers' infrastructure to function. If not dealt with strictly, people and users will not be able to escape being harassed.