PLDT-Smart: 2 billion scam texts blocked in Jan-Oct 2024

PLDT Inc.'s wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. has ramped up its crackdown on SMS fraud, with about two billion malicious text messages blocked before reaching customers in the first 10 months of 2024.

In a statement, PLDT-Smart said it has also blacklisted almost a million numbers tied to scams and other fraudulent activities during the same period.

“In October alone, Smart thwarted more than 200 million malicious text messages and blocked more than 46,000 mobile numbers being used to scam the public. We urge our customers to be vigilant against text messages embedded with hyperlinks, as these usually lead to phishing domains,” said Patrick Santos, chief information security officer at PLDT-Smart.

The telco said it continues to look deeper into the use of fake cell towers.

It said that such illegal devices allow scammers to push messages directly to mobile users in a localized area, bypassing the telecom network’s infrastructure and often appearing as legitimate messages from trusted sources.

PLDT-Smart said it has added a location field in its “HuliScam” public anti-scam reporting portal to note areas where customers usually receive these messages.

The PLDT Group has also engaged the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) for collaborative efforts to fight SMS phishing or "SMShing" that include the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of scammers.

The telco also provided tips on how to spot a SCAM:

• S is for ‘Suspicious’. Never answer calls or respond to messages from unverified or unknown numbers. Banks do not usually initiate calls or send SMS asking for your bank account details. Likewise, official bank and telco representatives will never ask for OTPs.
• C is for ‘Clickbait’. Scam texts often bait victims with too-good-to-be-true offers or prize winnings, urging them to click the link to avail of the limited-time offer.
• A is for ‘Alarming’. Scammers create a sense of fear or dread to prod potential victims into sharing sensitive information.
• M stands for ‘Malicious’. Text scams or emails are often accompanied by a link that leads to a phishing website.

PLDT-Smart urged customers who receive text scams and other SMShing messages to report these incidents to its anti-scam platform at https://smart.com.ph/huliscam.

“Aside from the location, the portal will also ask customers to provide the mobile number that sent the unsolicited message, the suspicious message, as well as the malicious link embedded in the text message,” it said.

“Other than the HuliScam portal, customers may also report cyber threats to Smart’s verified and official social media pages – Smart Communications on Facebook and @SmartCares on X — or call hotline *888.'' —VBL, GMA Integrated News