24 April 2024
In the first quarter of this year, Smart Communications blocked more than 13 million SMShing messages designed to help criminals take over people’s social media accounts.
Like with email phishing, SMShing tries to get the victim to click a malicious link. However, SMShing uses short links, which makes it harder for users to see the actual link before they click.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has linked SMShing to a rise in ‘hijack profile’ cases, in which attackers gain unauthorized access to someone’s social media account. In some cases, the victims are locked out of their own account, after which the attacker messages the victims’ contacts to ask for money, usually pretending to be sick or suffering from some other calamity.
In addition to blocking SMShing messages, Smart has also blacklisted almost 200,000 mobile numbers involved in phishing activities.
“Phishing is the most common technique employed by bad actors to trick you into revealing your data. Don’t go on autopilot mode and click or tap links,” said Elijah Mendoza, digital communications senior manager at Smart.
Despite ongoing efforts, mobile fraud remains one of the most common forms of fraud in the Philippines. According to Statista, 43% of consumers were targeted by SMShing messages in the fourth quarter of 2023.
