DICT urged to intensify efforts against text scams
On October 10, 2022 President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act No. 11934 or the SIM Card Registration Act. The law aims to provide accountability for those using SIM cards and aid law enforcement in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through phones. However, scam attempts continue and many Filipinos still fall victim to phishing scams, for instance, through short messaging services hence the need to be vigilant against perpetrators.
Progress in cyber defense programs brings benefits to everyone in today’s connected world. Everything from identity theft, to extortion attempts, to the loss of important data like family photos can be consequences of a cybersecurity attack. Living in today’s technology driven environment has made everyone to rely on critical infrastructure like power plants, hospitals, and financial service companies. Securing these and other organizations is essential to keeping our society functioning.
Senatorial aspirant and former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos called on the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to intensify efforts against new text scams. In a statement, Abalos emphasized the need for the government to stay vigilant as scammers find innovative ways to execute online text scams.
‘’I call on the Department of Information and Technology to look into this,” he said. Abalos added: “We have already started resolving cases of scams, but scammers continue to come up with new techniques to commit crimes.”
The DICT recently reported an increase in scam messages imitating legitimate advisories from popular e-wallet services. According to the DICT, scammers use this tactic to deceive recipients and steal their personal and financial information. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) also issued a warning on Wednesday about phishing scams disguised as e-wallet providers.
CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos urged the public to verify messages and avoid clicking on suspicious links to protect themselves from fraud. Ramos said: “We are appealing to the public to be more vigilant and never click links sent through text messages. We should always be suspicious when we receive such links through text messages.”
In light of recent incidents, Abalos advised the public to remain cautious and avoid interacting with unfamiliar text messages. “Be vigilant and do not easily believe suspicious information you receive or read from text messages,” he said in Filipino.
DICT spokesperson Assistant Secretary Aboy Paraiso underscored the importance of “cyber hygiene.” He said that two-factor or multi-factor authentication is the best way to protect yourself from any online scam. “Kasi hindi lang passwords ang kailangan. [May] OTP, yung biometrics natin i-input natin para po makagain access tayo sa financial records,” he said. (It won’t just need your password. There’s OTP, our biometrics, that we have to input so we can gain access to our financial records.)
