After spamming their network with tons of messages offering unwitting recipients of job offers in an attempt to scam, telcos PLDT and Smart Communications have put up the effort to block 78,000 SIM numbers linked to the scheme.
A record significantly worse than what’s recorded in 2021, the total is said to be more than double.
While the number is staggering, the telcos were not lax when it comes to combating the trend. Ever since 2022 started, the network service provider has been hands-on in blocking suspicious SIMs, counting to 15,000 per month.
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The event is called smishing, whereby perpetrators trick unsuspecting recipients into a “job offer” for the sole purpose of extracting real information, such as credit card numbers and passwords.
Once the authentic information is revealed, the scammer would then proceed to illicitly use the data to steal the victim’s money or digital assets.
With the roll-out of National ID in the Philippines, these types of scams are expected to drop.