The PLDT Group said on Sunday it noted a decrease in subscribers clicking fraudulent texts, even as it continues to work to block numbers related to the ongoing smishing scam.
Angel Redoble, the company’s chief information security officer, said his team has “observed a lower count particularly on December 4 with 9,117 access blocked, a lot less than the number of blocked access in the previous days.”
“Despite the sudden influx of spam messages, the decline in the number of access blocked suggests that more Filipinos are now more aware and suspicious, and therefore do not click on the domains that are sent to them via these fraudulent SMS. More mobile users are now practicing vigilance in response to the emerging threats in cybersecurity,” Redoble said.
As of Saturday, the PLDT Group has blocked more than 100,000 attempts to click or access domains directly related and involved in the ongoing text spam modus.
“This also measures the progress of PLDT and Smart’s comprehensive awareness campaign to protect subscribers from unsolicited, fake job hiring content. By propagating advisories and safety tips on social media, the Group is helping more Filipinos make informed, proactive decisions to protect their sensitive information and manage data risks,” Redoble added.
He noted that the group has “reinforced” its collaboration with the National Telecommunications Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, and the National Privacy Commission to address the smishing scam.
Currently, the government is studying the possibility of implementing policy intervention measures such as SIM card registration and the integration of the national ID to counter the attacks.
For now, Redoble said subscribers are “strongly advised” to “delete, block, and not click too-good-to-be-true job offers propagated by unknown senders, regardless of how enticing the compensation may sound
The government has linked the smishing scam to a global syndicate that offers Filipinos non-existent jobs that offer thousands of pesos in salary per day, asking them to deposit money to cash-out prizes.
Redoble said last week that the group has partnered with banking institutions, e-commerce firms, other telecommunications companies, and the government in coming up with a unified strategy to combat the scam.
“PLDT and Smart recognize how crucial data privacy has become, and we have convened with various sectors regarding the matter—a recognition that this issue requires a multisectoral approach. We assure the government agencies and other sectors that PLDT and Smart will take an active role in protecting Filipinos against cybercrime by strengthening our cybersecurity reinforcements,” said Leah B. Jimenez, the Chief Data Privacy Officer of PLDT and Smart.