Smart seeks industry approach vs text scams

MANILA, Philippines — Wireless giant Smart Communications Inc. said an industry-wide approach in stopping the spread of online scams should be pursued instead of limiting the production and distribution of certain technologies.

Smart vice president and head of regulatory affairs Roy Ibay said the public and private sectors should come up with an industry-wide strategy to mitigate the proliferation of messaging scams that are growing larger by the minute even with SIM registration in place.

Smart has blocked more than 24,000 mobile numbers involved in phishing, smishing, and vishing since the end of SIM registration on July 25. Further, the telco prevented around six million text scams from reaching its customers in August alone.

“We need to dive deeper into how these criminals operate and bring to light the entire cyber scam ecosystem. Instead of obsessing over and focusing on certain parts, all stakeholders should work together on a holistic solution,” Ibay said.

Ibay said SIMs, in general, are imported from abroad and are inserted in devices other than phones, such as tablets, smart watches and e-vehicles.

For Smart, Ibay said authorities should also investigate the misuse of these platforms by criminal minds rather than putting a cap on their production, importation, and distribution.

Last week, Information Secretary Ivan John Uy said the government is planning to limit SIM ownership to three – ideally one for each telco provider – per individual.

The proposal seeks to escalate efforts in narrowing the avenue for digital fraud. Apart from this, Uy said his agency is studying a legislative suggestion to require additional fees when owning more than three SIMs.

“If it is individual [registration], some countries limit it to five, others may be higher or lower. In our case, we have three telcos only. We can limit it to three, so you can have another one number each. It can be four because at times, one telco, two products,” Uy said.