Telco firms now removing linked domain names in spam messages, says NPC

Image: Istock.com/TARIK KIZILKAYA

MANILA, Philippines — Telecommunication (telco) companies are now removing domain names that are linked or embedded in spam messages while banks are freezing accounts where unsuspecting victims have sent their money, National Privacy Commission (NPC) chairman Commissioner Raymund Liboro said on Thursday.

Amid the proliferation of spam messages, mostly offering jobs to telcos subscribers, Liboro said both telecommunication firms and banks are doing their roles to stop the illegal act.

“Kasalukuyan po, ang mga telco po natin ay tinatanggal po itong mga domain ho na pinatutunguhan ano kapag po ikaw ay nag-click at pinutol na rin ho nila ‘yan at ‘yun pong mga bangko naman po na pinaglagakan na gamit, nakapagbukas ho ng account, dito ay na-freeze na ng mga bangko na concerned,” he  said on Teleradyo’s Kabayan.

(Currently, our telcos are removing the domain names where recipients are directed to when they click it and the banks freeze accounts where the money is deposited.)

According to Liboro, the act of using a short message service (SMS) to scam victims of their money is called smishing.

He added that people who would be victims of smishing may lose money in real-time.

“Ang peligro lamang nito kaya talagang ni-raise natin ‘yung alarm dito, eh real time maaari ka mawalan ng pera dito kasi ikaw ay lalansiin, o-offer-an ka ng trabaho kuno at ikaw daw–‘yun pang ibibigay na trabaho sa ‘yo mag-promote daw ng mga produkto online–pero bago ka makakuha ng komisyon ay kailangan mo maglagak muna ng sarili mong pondo,” Liboro explained.

(The danger here of why we raised the alarm is that you can lose your money real time because you will be offered a job to promote products online. But, before you get your commission, you have to give a fund first.)

Liboro reiterated that the scam is orchestrated by international syndicates as it does not only happens in the Philippines.

In a briefing on Tuesday, the commissioner told recipients of spam messages to block the numbers of unknown senders and report these to their respective telcos.

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