The continued proliferation of text scams that have evolved into other “variants” other than fake job offerings have prompted the National Telecommunications Commission to renew its directive to the country’s biggest telecommunications firms to warn their subscribers not to be fooled by the fraudulent messages.
In a memo sent by the NTC to DITO Telecommunity Corp., Globe Telecoms Inc. and Smart Communications, the telcos were requested, in the interest of public service, to text blast their subscribers from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, 2022 the following message: “BABALA. HUWAG PONG MANIWALA SA TEXT NA NAGLALAMAN NG INYONG PANGALAN NA NAG-AALOK NG TRABAHO, PABUYA O PERA. ITO PO AY ISANG SCAM.”
“The proliferation of fake job text, lucky winner and similar money scams targeting the general public has persisted over the month of August across telecommunications networks in the country with the latest variant including the name of its recipient,” said the NTC memo.
The telcos were also “directed to accelerate the process of blocking SIM cards that are being utilized to perpetrate these fraudulent activities and further enhance the messaging of your respective public information campaigns to factor in the new variants of these scams.”
In a separate directive, this time for the commission’s own Regional Directors and Officers-in-Charge, the officials were ordered once more “to appear before local radio and television stations within your respective jurisdictions to warn the public against the continuing text scams from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, 2022 and to continue your respective local public information campaigns to educate the public of these scams.”
DITO, Smart, Globe and the regional NTC officers were likewise required to submit a written report of compliance to the Office of the Commissioner on or before September 9, 2022.
The NTC is reiterating its call to the public to be vigilant of such text scams, adding that such modus can be minimized and even avoided if phone users will refuse providing personal information to strangers, decline survey questions from unknown senders and ignore dubious websites.