Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has recently blocked a phishing website that tricks customers into sharing personal information. Acting on reports about a suspicious message urging customers to click a malicious link to redeem ‘Smart points’, the telco quickly sprang into action to cut access to the copycat website and prevent customers from falling prey to the scam.
“Criminal syndicates have been using fake cell site devices to push scam messages directly to mobile subscribers. To make their messages believable, they spoof the sender to make it appear as if the SMS is legitimate and was sent by the mobile carrier. As a rule, Smart does not include or send clickable links either in person to person or official messages to its customers,” said Atty. Roy Ibay, VP and Head of Regulatory Affairs at Smart.
The recent modus dangles ‘Smart points’ to customers that compel them to redeem the reward before it expires. The link leads to a website that harvests customers’ personal data. Smart denies that such a promo exists. It also reminds customers that its official domain is https://smart.com.ph.
Smart also sounds the alarm on mass account hijacking on a popular instant messaging platform. Smart urges customers to verify with their contacts any suspicious link received over the third-party messaging application. Based on the telco’s investigation, these links lead to a bogus login page meant to steal users’ login credentials.
Smart has beefed up its network firewall to clamp down on unsolicited and fraudulent text messages. In 2024, the telco has prevented more than 2.3 billion malicious text messages from reaching customers. It had also blocked more than one million mobile numbers engaged in suspicious activities from its network.
Complementing these efforts is Smart’s #CyberSmart awareness campaign that shares tips on how to protect customers from text scams:
Do not reply to unverified text messages.
Block or delete suspicious messages with links. Never open these links.
Scams often lure customers with too-good-to-be-true, attention-grabbing offers. These include winning the ‘grand prize’ of a raffle you don’t recall joining.
Be wary of entities asking for personal or contact details, or any form of payment to redeem prizes or gifts.
Smart encourages customers to report suspicious messages via its HuliScam portal at https://smart.com.ph/HuliScam. Subscribers can provide details such as the sender’s mobile number or alphanumeric identifier, the message content, the date received, and the recipient’s location. Fraudulent SIM numbers are promptly blocked following verification.
Subscribers may also report scams to Smart’s verified social media channels—Smart Communications on Facebook and @SMARTCares on X—or by calling hotline *888.
