In an attempt to stop SMS-related fraudulent activities, Globe Telecom said that in only two weeks, it has blocked more than 32.2 million text messages with clickable links.
Over 32 million SMS were blocked by Globe in just two weeks
According to a statement from the Ayala-led telecom, the total covers the period from September 28 to October 13. This amounts to around 2.4 million SMS with clickable links every day on average during that time.
From January to September, 1.3 billion spam and scam messages were blocked in total, surpassing the 1.15 billion blocked in 2021, according to Globe.
Furthermore, the number of blocked SMS every month climbed dramatically over nine months, growing by 295.74 percent from 68.34 million in January to 270.5 million in September.
“The amount of text messages with clickable links we blocked within just about two weeks shows the staggering number of spam and scam SMS that disrupt and threaten customers every day. This is empirical proof that our security measure was warranted,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe’s Chief Information Security Officer.
“We reiterate our call on our customers to remain vigilant as fraudsters will continue to find ways to circumvent measures that aim to thwart them. Do not engage with SMS from anonymous sources making enticing offers,” Bonifacio said.
It claims to be the first and only telco to block
person-to-person SMS messages with clickable links. The policy will be in place
until the SIM Registration Act, which the president just signed, goes into
effect.
Globe has spent PHP 1.1 billion (USD 20 million) to improve
its system for detecting and blocking spam and fraudulent SMS. Its Security
Operations Center is operational around the clock to filter out unwanted
communications, including app-to-person and person-to-person SMS from both
domestic and international sources.
Lastly, Globe continues to operate its #StopSpam platform, which enables users to report spam and fraudulent messages received. Customer feedback helps Globe detect and remove more possible sources of spam and scam communications, lowering the number of these unwanted messages.
In case you received a suspicious text message with clickable links, please disregard it since it can steal any of your personal information including passwords, credit card numbers, and accounts. You may also tell this to your friends or relative, especially to the elders since some of them doesn’t aware of fraudulent activities like this.
