Globe Telecom Inc. and Lazada Philippines in cooperation with the government have intensified their efforts against the proliferation of text scams.
This developed as S&R Membership Warehouse Club announced “limited membership data” may have been compromised after it became a target of a cyber-attack.
In a statement, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. said the recent SMS spamming activities are specific to job hiring, likening the scheme to “digital pyramiding.”
“If mobile users open the link from any of these scam text messages, they will be redirected to the WhatsApp platform, in which they will be offered an attractive salary package, ranging from P500 to P10,000,” said Angel Redoble, PLDT and Smart chief information security officer.
Misled users are first prompted to provide their personal information and to open an account in a platform managed by the scammer. In this channel, interested job applicants are lured to deposit cash, from which they will be receiving a percentage as commission.
However, once the investments have added up to huge quantities, the individual will no longer be able to withdraw his or her commission pay and will be notified to access the Telegram app for cash transactions in bigger amounts.
Globe for its part called on industry stakeholders to strengthen “threat intelligence sharing” initiatives. Speaking at a meeting with industry players including telcos, banks and online retail platforms and with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Wednesday, Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security officer called on the need to improve private sector partnerships on top of what has already been a robust public sector enablement through the NPC.
Lazada Philippines meanwhile in a statement said it is working closely with telecommunications partners and local law enforcement agencies to discuss, review and clamp down on fraudulent activities. Lazada warned its customers regarding scams attempt to pass themselves off as official Lazada communication, enticing customers to participate in fake promotions or raffles or respond to job opportunities.
“Please communicate or transact with Lazada, or any of our marketplace sellers, and access your account only via the Lazada app, website, and official channels.” Lazada advised the public. S&R in a statement sent to members and posted in its social media account, said the compromised data involved in the cyber attack are limited to the contact information and assured all our members’ credit card and other financial information are safe and secured, as these data are protected by encryption measures as required by regulation.
S&R failed to reveal when the cyber-attack took place but the NPC said it received a report from the warehouse club on Nov. 15, 2021. S&R said its team “acted immediately and decisively to implement our cybersecurity protocols that enable us to resume our system operations.” The company said it is implementing measures to further reinforce the security of its IT system. – with Ruelle Castro
