Globe Telecom on Friday intensified efforts against online fraud and blocked six times more SIMs registered in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Blocking meant the deactivation or blacklisting of 220,669 SIMs through its StopSpam portal.
Globe deactivated 7,521 of its own SIMs for spamming in 2023, much less than the 20,226 such SIMs in 2022. The rest were the SIMs of its competitors. According to the telco, it blocked 213,148 SIMs from other mobile providers, a significant increase from 35,333 in 2022. This reflects Globe’s unwavering commitment to protecting its customers and securing its network.
“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,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security officer.
The increase in blocked and blacklisted SIMs resulted from Globe’s long-running Stop Spam initiative that encourages the reporting of spam-, spam messages- or spam call-linked mobile numbers. With the Stop Spam portal, customers can readily upload screenshots of unsolicited text messages including such details as sender and recipient numbers and any suspicious links.
Globe has invested heavily in detection and blocking systems. The company invested $20 million to beef up its Security Operations Center, which operates round-the-clock to filter out unwanted messages from both international and domestic sources.
