Globe Telecom Inc. blocked 784 million scam and spam messages in the first seven months of 2022, deactivated 14,058 scam-linked mobile numbers and blacklisted 8,973 more, the telco announced Wednesday night, August 31.
"Our anti-spam and scam operations continue 24/7 and we have put in place necessary filters to block suspicious sources, including erring numbers, SIMs, and domains used in the latest modus," says Anton Bonifacio, Globe Chief Information Security Officer.
The telco coordinates with industry partners to ensure the public doesn't fall for seemingly personalized malicious campaigns.
“At the end of the day, it's a business for scammers and as long as people fall for their schemes, they'll continue to bombard us with nuisance messages,” he warned.
Globe complies with the National Telecommunications Communication (NTC) order to warn the public about a new breed of scam messages bearing the users’ full names while making fake job offers or awarding cash prizes.
Furthermore, the telco urged ustomers to report spam and scam messages to its Stop Spam web portal.
On their own, Android phone users can set up spam filters on their devices, according to Bonifacio.
All they have to do is download Google’s "Messages" app, set it as their default Android SMS messenger, go to Settings and enable Spam Protection.
Users should never open or click on links from unknown numbers nor engage these spammers by replying with personal information, he underscored.
As early as 2014, Globe stepped up its cybersecurity capabilities to prevent attacks to its infrastructure and protect customers.
Over 100 people man its security operations center, which operates 24/7, to detect attacks and fend them off.
in addition, Globe provides customers with information about cybersecurity and responsible use of the Internet via its #MakeITsafePH campaign,.