PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. have blocked more than 23 million smishing messages in three days.
From June 11 to 14 alone, PLDT and Smart said, they have blocked more than 23 million short message service (SMS) that contain three uniform resource locators or URLs identified as phishing sites.
“Smishing” or SMS phishing is a form of social engineering done through text messages that deceive customers into thinking that these messages were sent by legitimate organizations such as banks, recruitment agencies, tour operators and other companies.
These messages often contain links to websites that lure victims into revealing their personal information.
The PLDT Group said its latest clampdown on smishing has expanded earlier efforts to prevent these harmful messages from reaching customers. From January to May this year, PLDT and Smart have blocked more than 600,000 text messages linked to smishing, hoaxes and spamming.
“PLDT and Smart have increased the frequency of our detection and blocking activities to keep our customers safe. We are constantly upgrading our tools to stay ahead of criminals.
We continue to engage our partners both in the government and private sector to keep t he Group updated on the latest threats and how perpetrators run their modus,” said Angel Redoble, PLDT and Smart chief information security officer.
To further protect customers from these fraudulent activities, PLDT and Smart had blocked almost 78,000 subscriber identity modules or SIMs related to smishing from January to May of this year, more than doubling their efforts in the same period last year.
PLDT and Smart said they have been fortifying their cybersecurity infrastructure, investing nearly P3 billion in 2021, to safeguard the public against emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities, including online fraud and other criminal activities.
