Telecom giant PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart), have teamed up with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) in shutting down scam hubs to protect Filipinos from fraudsters.
“PLDT and Smart are intensifying efforts against fraudulent activities being perpetrated over mobile services,” said Smart Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs Atty. Roy Ibay.
He added that “we are working closely with the CICC to investigate the personalities behind ‘scam hubs’ and to hold them accountable for their roles in the illicit operations.”
In addition to these efforts, PLDT and Smart have also engaged their regional and provincial distributors and local dealers to ensure security and integrity of the sale and distribution process of Smart SIMs.
PLDT and Smart are upgrading cybersecurity tools to prevent customers from receiving fraudulent text messages.
The PLDT group’s cybersecurity infrastructure has allowed the telco to block more than 500 million SMShing messages in the first five months of the year.
In May alone, Smart has also blacklisted more than 100,000 mobile numbers tied to illicit activities from its network.
The PLDT group has also engaged and empowered its over 14,000-strong workforce across the country to help fight SMShing-based crimes.
It has recently launched "Watchdog", an intuitive cybersecurity tool where employees can send screenshots and other details of SMShing messages.
PLDT and Smart are also improving reporting mechanisms to make it easier for customers to report text scams and similar fraudulent schemes.
The two firms also inform their customers through the #BeCyberSmart and #MagingCyberSmart awareness campaign that regularly shares practical tips on identifying techniques used by scammers to run their fraudulent activities.
PLDT and Smart said they actively seek opportunities to collaborate with the National Telecommunications Commission, other government agencies, their peers in the telecom sector, and other allies from the private and public sectors, to launch a comprehensive response to the menace plaguing Filipinos.