Globe warns of new voice phishing scam

Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. on Monday warned customers against a new vishing or voice phishing scam, where fraudsters call victims pretending to be officials of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

According to Globe, scammers call victims claiming that their number had been linked to illegal activities, and would then extort money from them with threats of arrest if they do not cooperate.

“Criminals prey on our natural respect for authority, using it as a weapon to deceive and manipulate. This is what we see in this new scam modus, where fraudsters pretend to be NTC officials,” Globe chief information security officer Anton Bonifacio said in an emailed statement.

“We call on our customers to be very vigilant and do not fall victim to these scammers,” he said.

Globe also urged its customers to be wary of unsolicited calls, refrain from giving out personal information or financial details over the phone, and report suspicious calls to the authorities.

The company said it is proactively blocking numbers linked to various forms of scams, and it is now working with the NTF to crack down on scammers. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/RSJ, GMA Integrated News