Keeping the public safe from fraudulent activities online, Globe Telecom Inc. has blocked over 138 million spam and scam messages from January to June 15 this year, the company reported Monday, June 27.
Globe's anti-spam blocking peaked in May, with 74.48 million total unwanted messages filtered out.
The total figure includes app-to-person and person-to-person messages of both local and international origin.
In addition, the telco deactivated 12,877 mobile numbers from January to May due to spamming out of customer reports via Globe’s Stop Spam web portal.
“Many Filipinos were quick to adopt all things digital. Unfortunately, with the increase in adoption, the cybersecurity landscape has become bleaker," according to Anton Bonifacio, Globe Chief Information Security Officer.
"A lot of attacks have happened over the past 10 years but the pandemic has been a force multiplier,” he underscored.
“This is why we have intensified even more our efforts to block spam messages through a stringent filtering system. We are also glad that the public has been vigilant, making use of our reporting portal to flag these unwanted messages,” says Bonifacio.
The situation is not unique to the Philippines as cybercriminals are a global threat.
Hence, Globe invests in tools to proactively detect suspicious content on the Internet.
The telco also enabled reporting tools and processes for employees, customers, and partners to immediately address customer concerns about fraud and scams.
Globe started its cybersecurity transformation journey in 2014 by building its capabilities to prevent attacks and threats to its infrastructure and protect its customers.
It has a security operations center that works 24/7 to fend off and detect attacks or breaches very quickly and over 100 people dedicated to cybersecurity efforts.
“We cannot enable the Filipino digital lifestyle without cybersecurity. Customer protection is our top priority," Bonifacio maintained.
"So we have been investing millions of dollars on systems and processes to combat security threats even without any promise of a return on investment. After all, the biggest ROI are the peace of mind and safety of our customers,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Globe continues to encourage the public to be more vigilant.
Its #MakeITsafePH campaign regularly provides customers with information about cybersecurity and responsible use of the Internet to boost awareness and help them protect themselves.