PLDT, Smart Supports Renewed Push for SIM Registration

Smart Communications, Inc. supports government actions to protect consumers, such as SIM Card Registration Bill. Smart and its parent firm, PLDThave been actively engaged in consumer protection efforts.

Smart and its parent company, PLDT, have been actively engaged in consumer protection initiatives with the government and authorities. Through their Cybersecurity Operations Group, PLDT and Smart actively strengthen and maintain the resilience and sustainability of their cybersecurity systems, which is vital to the PLDT group's larger mission to improve the customer experience by safeguarding them from cyberthreats.

"As a longtime advocate of consumer online protection, Smart has been actively implementing initiatives to keep our customers safe, especially from scams and fraud," said Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT Inc and Smart Communications President and CEO.

"We are always ready to support the legislative process. We welcome any opportunity to contribute to the success of the SIM card registration bill and support the government in developing its implementing rules and regulations," Panlilio added.

PLDT and Smart have recently blocked over 23 million SMS containing three URLs recognized as phishing sites, as part of an effort to prevent fraudulent communications from reaching users. This current crackdown on "smishing," or text message-based cyberattacks designed to steal the victim's personal information, enhances PLDT and Smart's efforts to protect customers.

From January to May of this year, PLDT and Smart banned nearly 600,000 spam and phishing-related SMS messages. To further safeguard their clients from these fraudulent operations, PLDT and Smart blacklisted over 78,000 SIM cards associated with smishing over the same period.

PLDT and Smart blacklisted more than 500 domains associated with smishing between mid-February and May of this year, while the Group has prohibited more than 10,000 sites associated with phishing since July 2021.

PLDT and Smart have also implemented regular information distribution and consumer education efforts to assist subscribers in recognizing warning signs of scams and fraud.

In 2021, PLDT and Smart invested up to 3 billion in cybersecurity infrastructure to protect the public from increasing cyber risks and vulnerabilities, such as online fraud and other illegal activities.

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