Globe ramps up blocking vs text scams

Globe Telecom has blocked over 142,000 messages tricking receivers into providing their personal data amid the surge of text scams offering fake job opportunities, which the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had warned about.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ayala-led telecommunications firm said 142,575 smishing messages in February and March were detected and filtered through its system to protect users from potential frauds.

“Smishing occurs mainly through mobile text messaging, in which scammers attempt to mislead victims into giving away their personal data. Scammers then use this data to take over a victim’s financial accounts,” explained Anton Bonifacio, chief information security officer of Globe.

Globe said it was continuously improving its security tools and platforms to shield users from illegal texts, enabling channels where individuals can report information or concerns about frauds and scams.

Bonifacio noted that the listed company was working with government and industry stakeholders in crafting intelligence-sharing initiatives and awareness campaigns on the matter.

Recently, the NTC ordered Globe, along with Smart and DITO Telecommunity, to text blast their subscribers from May 28 to June 4 about the proliferation of fake job text scams.

The regulator also asked the telco players to submit a compliance report on or before June 8.

According to Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, scammers have been taking advantage of the unemployment in the country during the pandemic.

“Cybercriminals … play on a job seeker’s desperation to make money immediately,” it noted.