THE number of blocked text scams within Globe Telecom Inc.’s network has declined by 79 percent in the second quarter of the year, compared to the same period last year as scammers shifted to other channels.
Globe said it has blocked about 236 million scam messages in the second quarter of the year, a significant drop from the 1.1 billion messages it blocked in the same period last year.
“We have observed a consistent decline in spam SMS (short message service) — those that pass through the cellular network — as we continue to implement stringent filtering systems, including blocking person-to-person SMS with links,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security and chief AI officer.
In addition, the number of deactivated subscriber identity modules reported via Globe’s #StopScam portal from April to June 2024 fell by 88 percent to 504, from 4,054 in the same period of the previous year.
Globe said it also saw a 65 percent drop in the total blacklisted numbers from competitors from 31,078 in the second quarter of 2023 to 11,026 in the second quarter of 2024.
“We reiterate our advice to our customers to remain vigilant and never engage with any unsolicited message they receive, whether via SMS or chat apps, particularly those with dubious offers,” Bonifacio added.
Globe said while these figures demonstrate the effectiveness of its current spam filtering systems, they also highlight a change in scam tactics that evade cellular networks.
Currently, there is an increasing threat posed by spoofed SMS, a method that bypasses telecom networks’ spam filters, making detection and prevention particularly challenging, Globe said.
Spoofing is a technique in which unscrupulous persons impersonate SMS channels to lure unsuspecting victims into sharing personal information or clicking on malicious links, potentially leading to financial losses or compromised data security.
Spoofed SMS uses international mobile subscriber identity catchers or fake cell towers.
These devices simulate cell towers to intercept mobile communications within a certain radius, compelling phones to connect and receive spoofed SMS messages directly. These messages do not pass through the cellular network, hence evading telco filters.
Fraudsters are also shifting to over-the-top media services or chat apps, Rich Communication Services chats for Android users and other Internet-based messaging platforms to send messages to target users, even while using foreign numbers or email addresses. These messages also do not pass through the cellular network.
