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Smart Leads Industry Collaboration with NPC Against Text Scammers

Smart Communications, Inc.

Smart Communications, Inc. collaborates closely with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Cybercrime Division to put an end to SMS scams that have plagued the public recently.
 
Smart has stated that it supports a government-led inquiry including telecommunications firms that will put an end to illicit activities.

“We have been sharing the results of our own investigation with law enforcers on the spate of fraudulent text messages that have recently hounded the public. What we need right now is to work together to track down the scammers so they can be brought to court,” said Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer at PLDT and Smart.

After Smart's crackdown on fraudulent employment text offers that made their way to aggregators, Redoble reported that criminals had switched their assault strategy and are now exploiting the vulnerabilities of other platforms.

“What we have discovered is that the culprits are now running the modus person-to-person. Using prepaid SIMs subscribed to unli-texting promos, they blast these messages without going through aggregators,” explained Redoble.

Smart has increased its blocking of mobile phones and domains associated with the fraudulent activities. Additionally, the organization is tracing the point of distribution of SIM cards used in recent "smishing" attacks. Additionally, Redoble reaffirmed the organization's support for the proposed SIM card registration measure.

“The proposed measure will significantly impact the operations of criminals. Already, they’re finding it more expensive to run their modus using prepaid SIMs because of our blocking efforts,” added Redoble.

While awaiting the passage of the planned SIM card registration bill, Smart is already investigating alternative venues that criminals may utilize to engage in comparable operations.

“Scammers are constantly evolving. It’s important to stay two steps ahead of their game to ensure that customers are protected,” said Redoble.

Smart's efforts to detect and prevent bad signals, such as SIMs and websites associated with fraudulent activity, are part of a much bigger campaign to improve the consumer experience by safeguarding customers from risks and attacks.

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