Smart: Over 5 million spam, scam messages blocked in February

Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. over the weekend said they blocked over 5 million scam and spam text messages and over 38,000 mobile numbers involved in fraudulent activities in February.

PLDT said its Cyber Security Operations Group (CSOG) also stopped more than 1.4 billion attempts to open malicious domains in February, including 200,000 sites and content related to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

The group said it blocked 83 million cyber attacks and attempts to breach its network in February, as it boosted efforts to protect its digital infrastructure.

“As we double efforts to register our mobile subscribers, we are also working 24/7 to stop malicious messages from passing through our network,” PLDT and Smart FVP and Chief Information Security Officer Angel Redoble said in an emailed statement.

“We work closely with SMS aggregators and financial institutions to immediately prevent text scams from spreading to mobile users in the country,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. said it blocked a record-high 2.72 billion scam and spam messages in 2022, more than double the 1.15 billion recorded in the previous year.

The company has spent some $20 million to boost its spam and scam SMS detection and blocking systems, with its Security Operations Center filtering out unwanted messages.

“Our customers are our top priority so we do our best to ensure that they are protected from scammers and fraudsters,” Chief Information Security officer Anton Bonifacio said in a separate statement.”

“We will continue to invest in cybersecurity systems and work tirelessly to provide them with a safe and enjoyable online experience as we also take part in the full implementation of the SIM Registration Act,” he added.

The government is determined to have all SIMs in the country registered by the April 26, 2023 deadline, in a bid to stop the proliferation of spam and scam text messages.

The latest data available from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) show that only 32.01% of all SIMs across the country have been registered as of March 29, 2023.

This includes 4,124,064 with DITO Telecommunity Corp.; 22,406,104 with Globe; and 27,560,557 with Smart.

Under the SIM Card Registration Act, all PTEs are mandated to establish their respective registration platforms to onboard users who present valid identification cards.

Users are given 180 days or until April 26, 2023 to register their SIM cards, or else face the risk of having these deactivated.

The implementing rules and regulations of the SIM Card Registration Act took effect on December 27, after the measure was signed into law by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. last October. — DVM, GMA Integrated News