THE National Telecommunications Commission is investigating the hacking of former Metro Manila Development Authority chair Benhur Abalos’s smartphone number, which was allegedly breached by phishers last May 8.
Abalos warned the public through a Facebook post to ignore messages from his “spoofed” (cellphone) number, which he had immediately suspended.
Abalos later brought the matter to the attention of Globe Telecoms and the National Telecommunications Commission.
Globe Telecom, in its findings, said it was validated that Abalos’s number did not send out the said “unscrupulous messages.”
The Globe security operations team further noted that Abalos is possibly a victim of illegal broadcaster devices prohibited by the NTC under “The Radio Control Law.”
The NTC is currently investigating the matter in coordination with Globe Telecom, but agreed with the latter that it may be a classic case of “SMS spoofing.”
According to Kaspersky, a cybersecurity solutions provider, phone number spoofing allows scammers to trick individuals to believe they are receiving calls or messages from a particular number — a disguise — to entice them to fall for their malicious motivations.
NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba warned that owners of illegal broadcaster devices and their operators will face criminal and civil penalties.
“It has been sending out unscrupulous messages. (I) went to Globe office this afternoon to complain (about the hacking incident) and had the number immediately suspended,” Abalos wrote in his FB account.
