Globe Telecom, Inc. on Thursday said more than 50,000 subscriber identity module (SIM) cards linked to fraud were blacklisted last year.
This was on top of the 2.72 billion fraud and spam messages blocked by Globe last year, 83.4 million of which were bank-related, according to the Ayala-led media company.
Globe said it deactivated 20,225 SIM cards and blacklisted 35,333 for sending spam and scam messages.
Globe Chief Information Security Officer Anton Reynaldo M. Bonifacio said the company recognizes the growing threat posed by scammers.
“They use various tactics, including text messages, to deceive innocent victims into giving up personal information that could be used to compromise their financial accounts,” he noted.
“We will continue to invest in our cybersecurity program to protect our customers from these unscrupulous individuals.”
The government is currently implementing Republic Act No. 11934, also known as the SIM Registration Act, as a major move to address cybercrime.
The law requires all mobile phone users to register their SIM cards with their service providers.
As of Jan. 25, Smart Communications, Inc. reported a total of 12,608,641 SIM cards registered, which is 18.54% of Smart’s 67,995,734 subscribers.
Meanwhile, Globe Telecom Inc. recorded 10,292,954 SIM cards registered or 11.71% of its 87,873,936 subscribers.
Third telco player DITO Telecommunity Corp. reported a total of 2,020,654 SIM cards registered or 15.42% of its 13,108,103 subscribers. — Arjay L. Balinbin