PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. blocked over 23 million malicious messages in just three days , June 11 to 14, 2022, the telcos announced.
‘Smishing’ or SMS phishing is a form of social engineering done through text messages.
They deceive customers into thinking they were sent by legitimate organizations, such as banks, recruitment agencies, tour operators and other companies.
The messages contain links to websites that lure victims into revealing their personal information.
PLDT group’s latest clampdown on ‘smishing’ expanded earlier efforts to prevent harmful messages from reaching customers.
From January to May this year, PLDT and Smart blocked more than 600,000 text messages linked to smishing, hoaxes, and spamming.
"We are constantly upgrading our tools to stay ahead of criminals," says Angel Redoble, PLDT and Smart FVP and Chief Information Security Officer .
"We continue to engage our partners in the government and private sector to keep the PLDT Group updated on the latest threats and how perpetrators run their modus,” he explained.
To further protect customers from these fraudulent activities, PLDT and Smart blocked almost 78,000 SIMs related to smishing from January to May this year, more than doubling their efforts in the same period in 2021.
From mid-February to May 2022, PLDT and Smart likewise blocked over 500 domains specifically linked to smishing as well as more than 10,000 domains tied to phishing.
PLDT and Smart have been fortifying their cybersecurity infrastructure, investing nearly ₱3 billion in 2021 to safeguard the public against emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities, including online fraud and other criminal activities.