Globe bolsters anti-spam, anti-scam capabilities

MANILA, Philippines — Globe Telecom Inc. has strengthened its anti-spam and anti-scam capabilities as unsolicited marketing campaigns from digital marketers or spammers have surged during the pandemic.

The telco said it has invested an additional $7.25 million in capital expenditures solely to continue enhancing anti-spam capabilities in the company’s network since the pandemic started.

“Given the ongoing pandemic, many businesses are struggling to get their products across to consumers. This has contributed to a surge in unsolicited marketing campaigns from digital marketers or spammers who use existing number databases culled from public information or online data,” Globe chief information security officer Anton Bonifacio said.

Through a dedicated cybersecurity team, the Ayala-led telco said it has deactivated 5,670 confirmed spam numbers, and successfully blocked close to 71 million spam messages in this year alone.

Globe’s specialized teams are part of a larger internal cybersecurity and data privacy group that responds to spam complaints and proactively deals with spammers and scams.

“We take unsolicited and fraudulent messages seriously, and protecting Globe customers from these scams remains a top business priority,” Bonifacio said.

Globe has likewise partnered with major universal and commercial banks, as well as e-commerce giants Lazada and Shopee to minimize not just spam, but also scams and phishing activities.

These partner companies report fake numbers, spoofed sender names, and websites, which Globe, in turn, blocks in its network immediately as they are reported.

The partnerships ensure the protection of customers within the network, the telco said.

Globe said it is fully aware of the inconveniences and related problems that may arise from text messaging scams and vowed to continue intensifying efforts to create a spam-free experience for all customers.

But while it is doing what it can to control spam on the network side, Globe said there are also tools available to customers on the device side.