Users report threatening text scams demanding payment

Following the spread of personalized text scams that include subscribers' names, some users now report receiving threatening spam messages saying they must pay supposed debts or penalties.

In Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras” on Thursday, a lawyer in Cebu City said that his mother-in-law received a message demanding that she settle an account in an alleged estafa case.

“Sabi niya prosecutor siya and then may case name and numbers at may mga laws na na-cite niya so parang legit siya [The sender said he was a prosecutor, and provided a case name and numbers and cited laws that made it seem he was legit],” Ruaya said. “I don't think a prosecutor would ever try to contact you to demand you to settle your account during the investigation. If there's a preliminary investigation, what the prosecutor will do is they will issue a proper subpoena.”

A similar message was received by Jun (not his real name) on Facebook, telling him he must pay after supposedly acting as a guarantor for his sibling’s debt. Jun denied the allegation.

Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen raised alarm on the spread of the personalized fraudulent messages, saying the incident is “very dangerous.”

“Unsolicited or scam text messages on our phone already contain our names. This means that there is a data provider out there that has leaked or sold or been careless about our information. This makes all of us now vulnerable. Very dangerous,” Leonen said.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said it is aware of the matter and is now conducting an investigation, including meeting with the telecommunication companies to discuss the issue.

For its part, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said it is also conducting a probe.

“The NPC held a meeting with telecommunications providers today, September 1, where participants committed to intensifying their technological and security safeguards, including the blocking of numbers to curb the surge immediately, among others,” it said in a statement.

“We are also in coordination with the NTC to share information and conduct concerted actions to the full extent of our respective mandates,” it said.

“Consistent with tour thrust to empower our citizens, we urge vigilance in protecting personal data, whether online or offline, especially in activities that require the disclosure of names, numbers and other information that could divulge our identities,” it added. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA News