Globe Telecom Inc. on Monday reported blocking scam and spam messages popping up nearly four-fold in the first six months this year even as anti-fraud measures intensify.
The Ayala-led telco said it blocked 2.2 billion scam and spam messages during the period from 615.01 million reported in the same period last year. This closely approximates the full-year 2022 record of 2.72 billion blocked messages.
“At Globe, we’re unwavering in our dedication to bolster the government’s fight against cybercrime,” Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security officer, said.
The telco has poured significant investments in advanced filtering systems and equipment in the intensified campaign to block scam and spam messages to providing secure and reliable communication services for Globe customers, he added.
The rising number of crimes and spam text messages has compelled President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sign Republic Act No 11934, or the SIM Registration Act in October last year mandating individuals to register by submitting valid identification documents to telecommunications entities.
The period of registration ended on 25 July for SIMs in use before the law was enacted. All new SIMs must now be registered prior to activation.
As the law goes into full effect and with a SIM database now in place, Globe hopes to see an eventual decline in the number of spam and scam messages sent out, but called on customers to remain vigilant as fraudsters are known to devise new ways to pull off their criminal schemes.
To support government efforts against spam and scam messages, Globe continues to block malicious SMS, including all person-to-person messages with links.
Globe has invested $20 million to bolster its spam and scam SMS detection and blocking system.
