Telcos ordered to cooperate with gov’t in text scam probe

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has ordered the three telecommunication companies in the country to cooperate with concerned government agencies in the investigation of the recent spate of personalized text scams.

Globe Telecom, Smart Communications Inc. and Dito Telecommunity were ordered to submit to the commission comprehensive audit report on the matter, particularly on the examination of their respective distributor frameworks for their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM cards).

“The Commission is proactively investigating the matter to identify the causes, and implement all possible solutions to mitigate, if not eliminate, the threats and risks brought by targeted smishing messages,” Privacy Commissioner John Henry D. Naga said in a statement

“Smishing” is the criminal act of sending text messages that lure individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, or to download malicious programs such as ransomware.

The NPC said it wanted a detailed report including information on all the mobile phone numbers used in sending the smishing messages.

The privacy commission is also asking the three telecommunication companies to identify the distributors of the SIM used by the scammers , as well as the individuals and entities that acquired the SIM cards.

Smart, Globe and Dito were given 10  days to comply with the order.

The NPC added that its complaints and investigation division will evaluate the submissions to further the investigation.

“The NPC will convene a meeting with representatives from the telcos and concerned government agencies,” the NPC said, citing in particular the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

The hearing is set for Sept. 13, 2022, Tuesday.

Last Wednesday, The National Privacy Commission (NPC) said data aggregators and brokers were unlikely sources of the widely-reported text scam messages based on the result of their initial probe.

Two consumer rights groups have so far called on the government to pass laws mandating the registration of SIM cards in response to the issue.