Smart Communications Inc. said it blocked over 24,000 mobile numbers involved in phishing, SMShing, and vishing activities a month after the deadline of SIM registration on 25 July lapsed.
The telco also prevented more than six million fraudulent messages from reaching customers in August.
To help resolve online and text scams and fraud, the telco company urged its peers and stakeholders to come up with a more coordinated response against cybercrimes.
“We need to dive deeper into how criminals operate and bring to light the entire cyber scam ecosystem. Instead of obsessing over or focusing on certain parts, all stakeholders should work together on a holistic solution,” Roy Ibay, vice president and head of regulatory affairs at Smart said.
It said SIM cards are largely imported but are also used in several IT devices such as tablets, smart watches and E-vehicles other than mobile phones. Ibay stressed that investigations focus on the misuse of these devices by criminal elements rather than set a limit to their production or importation.
Smart had been helping customers protect themselves against cybercrime by releasing CyberSmart tips on social engineering tactics. These can easily be remembered by the acronym – SCAM.
Sender is unknown. Never answer calls or open emails from strangers. Scammers also use regular numbers contrary to custom sender IDs used by private companies. Always remember that banks never ask for one-time passwords (OTP).
Compelling reason to act immediately. Phishing messages often push you to click on the link to avail of the special promo or limited offer.
Attention grabbing offers. Scammers often promise financial rewards or too-good-to-be-true promos to bait potential victims.
Malicious link. Whether sent via SMS or email, these messages are often accompanied by a link that
