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Smart identifies SIMs as scam source

Business

Smart identifies SIMs as scam source

By Emmie V. Abadilla

Individual Subsciber Identity Module (SIM) cards are the latest source of scam text messages, not breaches in telecom networks, Smart Communications Inc. announced Monday night, Sept. 5.

“Our recent investigation bared that these unscrupulous messages are being sent through individual SIMs,” confirmed Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer of PLDT and Smart.

“These messages do not originate from aggregators or their customers. There is no evidence to suggest a breach in our systems that would have given perpetrators access to the mobile numbers and names of our subscribers," he explained.

"Upon scrutiny of these spam messages, we have observed that the format of the names mimics the naming conventions used in popular digital services,” Redoble stated.

With the recent spate of cyber attacks, Smart is not just blocking SIMs that send ‘smishing’ messages, but also blocking Uniform Resource Locators (URL) linked to illegal activities.

So far, PLDT and Smart have invested ₱3 billion in 2021 to fortify their cybersecurity infrastructure.

Furthermore, “We continue to work with the National Privacy Commission (NPC), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and law enforcement agencies to identify perpetrators," says Leah Jimenez, FVP and Chief Data Privacy Officer of PLDT and Smart.

"At this early stage, and pending completion of investigations, we believe it prudent to hold off on any conclusion," she cautioned. "Our focus should be on identifying the source of these scam messages."

“We will also be undertaking public awareness campaigns so the texting public can identify illegitimate messages and protect themselves from being fraud victims,” Cathy Yang, FVP & Group Head, PLDT and Smart, concluded.

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