While we believe that contact tracking forms may have had a role in spreading scam texts, Smart has assured its customers that it is dedicated to enhancing its cybersecurity infrastructure to prevent any data breaches. Recent research conducted by Smart on these scam SMS messages has led them to conclude that individual SIMs are the primary conduit for their distribution.
Under closer inspection, we found that the names used in these spam emails closely resemble those of well-known online services. According to Angel Redoble, senior vice president and chief information security officer for PLDT and Smart, they have a problem. There is no proof that a hacker gained access to our users’ mobile phone numbers and identities through a security flaw in our system.
However, Smart is investigating the origin of these scam texts in conjunction with the National Privacy Commission (NPC), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and law enforcement authorities. Smart, meanwhile, would rather wait until the probe is complete before drawing any conclusions.
Cathy Yang, senior vice president and group head at PLDT and Smart, said, “We will also be making public awareness efforts to provide our texting public with the skill to spot bogus messages so that they may prevent themselves from being scam victims.”
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