Globe Telecom Inc. cautioned its subscribers on Monday, urging them to exercise vigilance amid a surge in spoof messages designed to deceive customers into divulging sensitive information.
There has been a recent onslaught of fraudulent text campaigns orchestrated by scammers exploiting the company’s ongoing promotional initiatives.
According to Globe, reports have flooded in from customers who have fallen victim to deceptive text messages impersonating Globe’s official sender ID, enticing recipients to click on dubious links purportedly offering rewards redemption opportunities. Darius Delgado, Vice President and Head of Consumer Mobile Business at Globe, emphasized the gravity of the situation, warning customers against engaging with any text messages containing links purportedly from Globe.
“Any text message containing a link from supposed sender ID ‘Globe’ is a fraudulent message done via spoofing. Globe will never send an official advisory with links. Do not fall for enticing offers in these scam messages,” he said.
Spoofing is a technique where scammers manipulate caller ID information to mimic legitimate sources. In this case, bad actors are spoofing customers, exploiting Globe’s ongoing campaign urging customers to redeem their rewards before the expiration date on March 31.
Malicious links, if clicked, could lead to the compromise of personal data, including sensitive financial information such as credit card details.
“Globe Rewards points may only be redeemed via the GlobeOne app. We’d like to encourage our customers to use this official platform, as this is the only place where they can claim rewards,” Delgado said.
The telecommunications provider shed light on the sophisticated nature of spoofed messages, which circumvent traditional spam filters by leveraging illegal equipment like the international mobile subscriber identity catcher or fake cell towers.
These devices intercept mobile users within a limited radius, enabling fraudsters to send SMS from spoofed or impersonated numbers undetected. Despite Globe’s stringent measures to combat SMS scams, including barring person-to-person messages with links from its network, the telco still “observed a rise in spoofing and other forms of text scams.” Anton Bonifacio, Globe’s chief information security officer, said the company will continue to enhance its security measures to protect its customers and its network.
“[S]cammers will keep finding new ways to defraud mobile users, which are often outside Globe’s control. We need the help of our customers to be proactive in protecting themselves as Globe does not have control over a lot of content that reaches them, such as texts from spoofed SMS and from chat apps, and unconfirmed information they get on social media. Please be discerning.”
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