In line with addressing the proliferation of mobile scams, Globe Telecom Inc. announced that it has recorded a nearly 300 percent surge in blocked SIMs linked to fraudulent activities in 2023.
Through its Stop Spam site, the telco was able to block 220,668 SIMs, compared to 55,559 blocked in 2022.
It deactivated 7,521 Globe SIMs for spam in 2023, which was 65 percent less than the 20,226 blocked Globe SIMs in 2022.
Majority of the blocked SIMs were from other mobile providers, said Globe, accounting for 213,148 blocked SIMs in 2023.
This was an 83.4 percent increase from 35,333 in 2022.
Globe’s blocking system is part of its initiatives to protect customer data and securing their networks.
"In today's digital era, safeguarding our customers is a responsibility we take very seriously. Our aggressive measures against online fraud, especially in deactivating and blacklisting SIMs, are a testament to our commitment to creating a safer digital environment. We are constantly evolving our strategies and technologies to stay ahead of threats and ensure the highest level of security and trust in our services,” said Globe Chief Information Security Officer Anton Bonifacio.
The substantial increase in blocked and blacklisted SIMs is a result of Globe's long-running #StopSpam initiative, which encourages subscribers to report mobile numbers linked to spam and scam messages or calls.
The Stop Spam portal enables Globe subscribers and users to report mobile numbers that send spam or scam messages and calls. They can post screenshots and other details to identify the senders and the suspicious links.
As a testament to its data security efforts is their investment of $20 million to enhance their Security Operations Center that filters fraudulent messages from local and overseas sources.