FILE PHOTO: A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ telecommunications giants are boosting their capabilities to protect their customers from fraud as scammers continue to capitalize on the increase in mobile-based transactions.
By next year, billionaire Manuel Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. will both launch three key programs to counter cybercrime.
According to PLDT Enterprise first vice president John Gonzales, these include silent authentication, which will replace one-time passcodes, as these have become more prone to interception by “malicious parties.”
There is also device location validation, which will allow merchants to verify a buyer’s device location to help with fraud detection, as well as enhanced know-your-customer processes to help ensure that transactions are legitimate.
“Our role in continuously educating consumers and enterprises is also something we take seriously,” Gonzales said in a statement.
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For its part, the PLDT Group said it had been collaborating with government and industry stakeholders to boost its fight against cybercrimes.
PLDT is also investigating the use of fake cell towers, illegal devices that allow scammers to push messages directly to mobile users in a localized area.
PLDT said this bypasses the telco’s network infrastructure and appears as legitimate messages from providers.
Meanwhile, Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. expanded its digital citizenship and cybersecurity program to 6,196 participants in 2024, recognizing the increasing number of Filipinos falling victim to fraud.
“With the accelerated digital transformation comes growing online threats, particularly fraud, to which more and more Filipinos fall victim every day,” Globe chief sustainability and corporate communications officer Yoly Crisanto said in a statement.
As of end-September, Globe has blocked 162.7 million spam and scam texts, as well as 20,509 scam-linked sim cards.
Globe likewise blocked 167,408 links and 597 domains of child pornography and malicious websites, along with 949 gambling websites.
According to nonprofit organization Global Anti-Scam Alliance, 67 percent of Filipinos encountered scams at least once a month this year.
However, uncertainty about to whom they could report such incidents resulted in 67 percent of 1,000 respondents surveyed choosing not to report scams.
This happens amid an increase in mobile payment transactions in the Philippines. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier reported that 64 percent of Filipinos preferred digital payments in 2023 versus 57 percent in 2022.