MANILA -The country’s telecommunication giants continue to foil millions of potential text scams, which have been on the rise despite the implementation of SIM (subscriber identity module) card registration, as cyberhackers remain persistent with their digital attacks.
PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications blocked more than 5.5 million spam messages in September alone. Globe Telecom Inc., meanwhile, foiled 2.59 billion potential text scams from January to September.
The spam messages usually are embedded with suspicious links redirecting unsuspecting victims to a phishing website where they will be asked to input personal information like bank account details and contacts.
Cyberexperts and telcos have advised users to ignore such messages as the hackers could potentially access the victims’ bank accounts and steal money.
“Without scrutinizing these fake advisories, one can easily be fooled into thinking they were officially released by the bank. We need to take the time in going over these messages,” PLDT and Smart chief information security officer Angel Redoble said.
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Last month, Smart blacklisted 21,000 mobile numbers engaged in scams and fraudulent activities. Globe also blacklisted 150,287 SIM cards so far this year.
Blacklisting refers to blocking of SIM cards outside the telco’s network as they are found to be involved in suspicious activities.
“We reaffirm our commitment to reducing scams and fraudulent activities, ensuring that every message sent and received is one of trust,” Globe chief information security officer Anton Bonifacio said.
Globe, in a message to the Inquirer, noted that fraudsters would always find ways to launch their cyberattacks despite the implementation of SIM card registration, which removes the anonymity of threat actors.
As such, PLDT reminded the public to always double-check the source as scammers often pretend to be legitimate accounts.
“When it comes to scamming people online, phishing remains to be the tried and tested modus operandi of cybercriminals due to its cost-effectiveness and profitability,” said Adrian Hia, managing director for Asia Pacific at cybersecurity company Kaspersky.